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1 VERB You can use suppose or supposing before mentioning a possible situation or action. You usually then go on to consider the effects that this situation or action might have. □ [V that] Suppose someone gave you an egg and asked you to describe exactly what was inside. □ [V that] Supposing he's right and I do die tomorrow? Maybe I should take out an extra insurance policy.

2 VERB If you suppose that something is true, you believe that it is probably true, because of other things that you know. □ [V that] The policy is perfectly clear and I see no reason to suppose that it isn't working. □ [be V -ed that] It had been supposed that by then Peter would be married. [Also V n]

3 PHRASE You can say ' I suppose ' when you want to express slight uncertainty. [SPOKEN , VAGUENESS ] □ [PHR that] I get a bit uptight these days. Hormones, I suppose. □  I suppose I'd better do some homework. □  Is that the right way up?—Yeah. I suppose so. □  There's nothing to keep us here, is there?—I suppose not.

4 PHRASE You can say ' I suppose ' or ' I don't suppose ' before describing someone's probable thoughts or attitude, when you are impatient or slightly angry with them. [SPOKEN , FEELINGS ] □  I suppose you think you're funny.

5 PHRASE You can say ' I don't suppose ' as a way of introducing a polite request. [SPOKEN , POLITENESS ] □  I don't suppose you could tell me where James Street is could you?

6 PHRASE You can use ' do you suppose ' to introduce a question when you want someone to give their opinion about something, although you know that they are unlikely to have any more knowledge or information about it than you. [SPOKEN ] □  Do you suppose he was telling the truth?

7 PHRASE You can use ' do you suppose ' as a polite way of suggesting or requesting that someone does something. [POLITENESS ] □  Do you suppose we could get together for a little chat sometime soon? SYNONYMS suppose VERB 2

imagine:I imagine you're referring to Jean-Paul Sartre.

assume:If the package is wrapped well, we assume the contents are also wonderful.

presume:Dido's told you the whole sad story, I presume?

sup|posed ◆◆◇ Pronounced /səpoʊ zd/ or /səpoʊ st/ for meanings 1 to 4 , and /səpoʊ z I d/ for meaning 5 . 1 PHRASE If you say that something is supposed to happen, you mean that it is planned or expected. Sometimes this use suggests that the thing does not really happen in this way. □  He produced a hand-written list of nine men he was supposed to kill. □  Public spending is supposed to fall, not rise, in the next few years.

2 PHRASE If something was supposed to happen, it was planned or intended to happen, but did not in fact happen. □  He was supposed to go back to Bergen on the last bus, but of course the accident prevented him.

3 PHRASE If you say that something is supposed to be true, you mean that people say it is true but you do not know for certain that it is true. □  'The Whipping Block' has never been published, but it's supposed to be a really good poem. □  'The President cannot be disturbed,' his son is supposed to have told an early morning caller.

4 PHRASE You can use ' be supposed to ' to express annoyance at someone's ideas, or because something is not happening in the proper way. [FEELINGS ] □  You're supposed to be my friend! □  What am I supposed to have done wrong now?