Presume Upon

B2 16+

Pronunciation: /prɪˈzjuːm əˈpɒn/

Definitions of presume upon

verb to take unwarranted advantage of someone's kindness or trust

Example Sentences

A1 I presume upon my sister to help me with my homework.

A2 He presumes upon his friend's generosity too often.

B1 It is rude to presume upon someone's kindness without asking first.

B2 She felt uncomfortable when her colleague presumed upon her willingness to work late.

C1 The CEO should not presume upon the loyalty of his employees.

C2 It is important not to presume upon the trust of others in a professional setting.

preposition upon

Example Sentences

A1 I presume upon my friend to help me with my homework.

A2 She presumes upon her parents for financial support.

B1 It is not polite to presume upon others' generosity.

B2 The manager should not presume upon the loyalty of the employees.

C1 He was criticized for presuming upon his colleagues' expertise.

C2 Presuming upon someone's kindness can lead to strained relationships.

Examples of presume upon in a Sentence

formal It is not appropriate to presume upon someone's generosity without asking for permission first.

informal Don't just presume upon your friend's willingness to help without checking with them first.

slang You can't just presume upon your parents to give you money whenever you want.

figurative He always presumes upon others to do his work for him, without putting in any effort himself.

Grammatical Forms of presume upon

past tense

presumed upon

plural

presume upon

comparative

more presume upon

superlative

most presume upon

present tense

presumes upon

future tense

will presume upon

perfect tense

have presumed upon

continuous tense

is presuming upon

singular

presumes upon

positive degree

presume upon

infinitive

to presume upon

gerund

presuming upon

participle

presuming upon

Origin and Evolution of presume upon

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Middle English
Story behind the word: The phrase 'presume upon' originates from Middle English, influenced by Old French and Latin roots.
Evolution of the word: Originally used to mean 'to take liberties with' or 'to act with unwarranted boldness', the phrase 'presume upon' has evolved to also signify 'to take advantage of' or 'to overstep boundaries'.