presumed

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of presume.

   The jury presumed his innocence until the evidence proved otherwise.

   Lost at sea for a week, the sailors were presumed dead.

   Note

   One spelling covers two jobs: the plain past (she presumed) and the participle that follows have or be (had presumed, was presumed dead). The construction carries the meaning. Presumed that, or presumed someone innocent, means supposed. Presumed to speak means dared to without permission. Presumed on or upon someone's kindness means took advantage of it.

2. 2
   adjective

   Regarded as the most probable outcome or identity, often with some preparations already beginning on that basis.

   The presumed heir began rehearsing for a role she had not yet officially won.

   Investigators worked from the presumed cause of the fire while awaiting forensic confirmation.

   Similarlikely, probable, assumed, supposed, putative

   Oppositeconfirmed, proven

   Note

   Set before a noun, the participle settles into an adjective: the presumed heir, the presumed cause of the fire. It marks a working assumption rather than a settled fact, so it suits accounts where the conclusion is still open. After a verb, the same idea usually returns to the passive form, as in were presumed dead. It can even be graded, as in more presumed.

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