Assumes is a verb meaning to suppose something is true without proof or to take on a responsibility or role as if it were certain. It often implies presumption or speculation, sometimes without evidence. The form shown here is the third-person singular present tense, as in ‘he assumes the position’ or ‘she assumes leadership.’
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"She assumes the role of project lead after her successful presentation."
"The study assumes participants will complete the survey honestly."
"He assumes responsibility for the error and apologizes."
"When the door opened, the dog assumed a guarding posture, ready to alert her owner."
Assumes comes from the Latin assumere, which is a combination of ad- ‘toward’ or ‘to’ and sumere ‘to take up, take onto oneself’. The word entered English via Old French as assumer and later Middle English with the spelling and form we recognize today. Its sense evolved from literally taking on something (like a burden or role) to a more figurative meaning of taking something as true or presuming a condition without evidence. The philosophical and legal usage—assume a position, assume responsibility—emerged as the sense of adopting or taking on authority or duty. The verb has remained strong in modern usage, often signaling assertion without proof, or adoption of a status or role by choice or assumption. First known use in English dates to the 14th century, with usage expanding through the 16th–18th centuries to include both physical taking and figurative presumption. The word’s flexibility reflects both everyday reasoning and formal contexts where responsibility or pose might be assumed. In contemporary use, assumes frequently collocates with responsibility, roles, or attitudes, and is common in both spoken and written English across genres.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "assumes" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "assumes"
-mes sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as- SUMES, with stress on the second syllable: /əˈsjuːmz/. The first syllable is a weak schwa /ə/, the second syllable contains /sjuː/ plus /mz/. In rapid speech, you’ll often hear /əˈsjuːmz/ with a smooth /j/ transition into the /uː/ vowel. Mouth position: relaxed lips for /ə/, then a slight open rounding for /sjuː/ (tip of tongue near the alveolar ridge, lips slightly spread), and end with the voiced /mz/. You can think “uh-SYOOMZ.”
Two common errors: 1) Placing primary stress on the first syllable (ASSUMES) instead of the second. This changes the meaning and sounds staccato. Correction: keep stress on the second syllable /əˈsjuːmz/. 2) Pronouncing the second syllable as /ɪmz/ or /ɪz/ instead of /juːmz/. Correction: produce /juː/ as a single, smooth glide into the /mz/ ending. Practice with minimal pairs to feel the /juː/ sequence and the ending /mz/.
US/UK/AU share the /əˈsjuːmz/ pattern, but rhoticity and vowel quality vary. US often keeps a clearer /r/ in surrounding context but not in this word; the /juː/ tends to be a rounded, tense vowel, and the /s/ is crisp. UK English may have slightly shorter /juː/ and less pronounced /r/ influence; AU tends to be non-rhotic with a bright, tight /juː/ and similar /mz/ ending. Overall, the central stress remains on the second syllable.
The challenge lies in the /ə/ initial with weak stress, then moving quickly into the /ˈsjuːmz/ cluster. The tricky part is producing a clean, unobtrusive /j/ glide into a long /uː/ vowel while maintaining voicing for the final /mz/. The sequence requires precise articulation of a diphthong /uː/ begun after /s/ and ending with Z-like /z/ voiced release. Mastery comes from controlled, rapid production in connected speech.
Is the second syllable always the stressed one in all contexts? Yes. The standard pronunciation keeps primary stress on the second syllable as /əˈsjuːmz/, regardless of sentence position. The final /mz/ cluster remains voiced and unreleased as a single unit in fluent speech, not separated as /m z/. Also, the /juː/ sequence can be realized as a tight /j/ + /uː/ with a subtle centering toward /ʊ/ in some casual accents.
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