Presume \Pre*sume"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Presumed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Presuming}.] [F. pr['e]sumer, L. praesumere, praesumptum; prae before + sumere to take. See {Assume}, {Redeem}.] 1. To assume or take beforehand; esp., to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained.
Dare he presume to scorn us in this manner? --Shak.
2. To take or suppose to be true, or entitled to belief, without examination or proof, or on the strength of probability; to take for granted; to infer; to suppose.
Every man is to be presumed innocent till he is proved to be guilty. --Blackstone.
What rests but that the mortal sentence pass, . . . Which he presumes already vain and void, Because not yet inflicted? --Milton.
"It's sort of like the court presuming the employer is guilty and making him prove he isn't," says Kathryn Oberly, a lawyer with Mayer, Brown & Platt, which is representing Price Waterhouse.
The task on this morning, presuming death squads attacked again in the night, was to dig six graves.
We suspect the students' true crime was presuming to assess scholarship at their college.
He said the Kuwaiti committee, based in Washington, has spent the last six weeks examining matters that will need to be addressed presuming that the Kuwaitis regain possession of their country.
These factors include the costs to buy shares, the performance record, expense ratio and quality of holdings." Sometimes, people have sought to use prayer as a partisan weapon, presuming to enlist God on their side against others.
While not presuming to speak directly for Asia, Takeshita said he was happy summit partners pledged a new dialogue with the newly industrialized nations of South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
"We are presuming those (others) are all set fires," he said. There have been no arrests, officials said.