Definition of postulatenext
as in assumption
something taken as being true or factual and used as a starting point for a course of action or reasoning one of the postulates that the true agnostic rejects is the assumption that it is even possible for us to know whether God exists

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of postulate
Noun
Euclid’s postulates for geometry; various schemes for standardizing arithmetic. — Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026 That postulate would justify racial quotas or preferences to remedy racial discrimination uncorroborated by credible evidence. — Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Now, building on their previous research, the Curtin and Sheffield Hallam University scientists postulate that the movement of the altar stone may have involved a combination of human and glacial transport. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 5 June 2026 There’s no point postulating a soul that might rise beyond the reach of artificial illumination, because the very vault of the Universe is inscribed with radiant diagrams. — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for postulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for postulate
Noun
  • Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ended the assumption that energy infrastructure could be insulated from geopolitics.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Zahir Islam, PhD, a physicist at ANL, and co-author of the study, said the finding challenges a common assumption in microelectronics that the substrate beneath a thin film simply acts as a passive support.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Salkar said a medico-legal case had been opened and an autopsy would follow.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026
  • India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines are among the countries that are most exposed to food security risk from the super El Niño and also face the highest risk of civil unrest due to rising prices, Verisk Maplecroft said.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Some universities have a long standing tradition of continually testing students’ ability to explain and rationalise their theories.
    — Reynald Fasciaux, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The defense said the government’s theory is unsupported and urged the judge to dismiss the charges.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation, police said.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • If RatHat does make it onto a device, do not assume deleting the app solves the problem.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Among the results claimed are a solution to the four-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, improvements on some of the world’s most important computer algorithms, and actual progress toward math’s scariest problem, the Riemann hypothesis.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The corroded terminal, the location, 30 seconds of video of the noise, the hypothesis that was ruled out.
    — Julien Vantyghem, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In broad terms, an indefinite employment relationship is presumed to be terminable at the will of either party.
    — William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Lui remains presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Lottie truly believes that armed with her diary and a plan for total re-invention, everything will go great and not be embarrassing at all.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Much of that sum—$250 million—comes from his contract with the Saudi Pro League’s Al Nassr, which is believed to be subsidized by commercial agreements orchestrated by the club.
    — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The researchers had hypothesized that, in the mixing of fluids in large natural systems, turbulence generated by tiny organisms plays an underappreciated role.
    — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Certainly, the ancient Greeks appreciated symmetry and precision in their architecture; it’s even been hypothesized that this symmetry was considered divine and thus represented religious dedication to the space.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

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“Postulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/postulate. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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