postulate

UK: /ˈpɒstjʊleɪt/

US: /v. ˈpɑstʃəˌleɪt; n. -lɪt, -ˌleɪt/

US: (v. pos′chə lāt′; n. pos′chə lit, -lāt′)

Inflections of 'postulate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

postulates

v 3rd person singular

postulating

v pres p

postulated

v past

postulated

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pos•tu•late /v. ˈpɑstʃəˌleɪt; n. -lɪt, -ˌleɪt/   v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to suggest or assume the existence or truth of (something), esp. as a basis for further reasoning: [~ + object]
   She postulated an increase in population and went on from there to form a theory of population change.
   [~ + that clause]
   began by postulating that good and evil exist in all people.

n. [countable]

2. something assumed to be true and used as a basis for reasoning:
   a postulate that human beings were created for a purpose.

pos•tu•la•tion /ˌpɑstʃəˈleɪʃən/  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pos•tu•late  (v. pos′chə lāt′;n. pos′chə lit, -lāt′), v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing, n. 
v.t. 

1. to ask, demand, or claim.
2. to claim or assume the existence or truth of, esp. as a basis for reasoning or arguing.
3. to assume without proof, or as self-evident;
   take for granted.
4. Mathematics, Philosophy to assume as a postulate.

n. 

5. something taken as self-evident or assumed without proof as a basis for reasoning.
6. Mathematics, Philosophy a proposition that requires no proof, being self-evident, or that is for a specific purpose assumed true, and that is used in the proof of other propositions;
   axiom.
7. a fundamental principle.
8. a necessary condition;
   prerequisite.

• Latin postulātum petition, thing requested, noun, nominal use of neuter of past participle of postulāre to request, demand, akin to pōscere to request
• 1525–35

pos′tu•la′tion, n. 
pos′tu•la′tion•al, adj. 
Synonyms

• 3. hypothecate, presuppose, conjecture.
• 5. hypothesis, theory; axiom; assumption, conjecture.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

postulate verb / ˈpɒstjʊˌleɪt/(tr; may take a clause as object)

1. to assume to be true or existent; take for granted
2. to ask, demand, or claim
3. to nominate (a person) to a post or office subject to approval by a higher authority

noun / ˈpɒstjʊlɪt/

1. something taken as self-evident or assumed as the basis of an argument
2. a necessary condition or prerequisite
3. a fundamental principle
4. an unproved and indemonstrable statement that should be taken for granted: used as an initial premise or underlying hypothesis in a process of reasoning

Etymology: 16th Century: from Latin postulāre to ask for, require; related to pōscere to request

ˌpostuˈlation noun