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When you postulate an idea or theory you suggest that it is true especially for the purposes of an argument or discussion. The word is mostly at home in formal and academic contexts, but don’t let that stop you from postulating, for example, that takeout for dinner makes sense given the cook’s delayed return home from work. The word postulate also functions as a noun referring to something that’s been postulated, as in “a theory based on disputed postulates.” Both verb and noun have their source in Latin postulare, meaning "to assume."
Synonyms
Examples of postulate in a Sentence
Solcyré Burga, TIME, 28 June 2024
Others have postulated that it may be used for GLObalnaya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema in Russian (GLONASS), Russia’s equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS).
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
Rachel Crowell, Scientific American, 6 Dec. 2023
In the 1800s, Bertrand’s postulate showed that for any n>3, there is always a prime number between n and 2n.
—Quanta Magazine, 28 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'postulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Postulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postulate. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
postulate
1 of 2 verb
postulate
2 of 2 noun
Medical Definition
postulate
noun
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