premise
/prĕm′ĭs/
noun
  1. A proposition upon which an argument is based or from which a conclusion is drawn.
  2. One of the propositions in a deductive argument.
  3. Either the major or the minor proposition of a syllogism, from which the conclusion is drawn.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. More at Wordnik
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Merriam-Webster
merriam-webster.com › dictionary › premise
PREMISE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
1 week ago - The meaning of PREMISE is a proposition supposed or proved prior as a basis of argument or inference; specifically : either of the first two propositions of a syllogism from which the conclusion is drawn. How to use premise in a sentence.
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary › english › premise
PREMISE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary
PREMISE meaning: 1. an idea or theory on which a statement or action is based: 2. to base a theory, argument, etc…. Learn more.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/english › do i understand what "premise" means exactly?
r/ENGLISH on Reddit: Do I understand what "premise" means exactly?
October 19, 2024 -

As per the title, I wanted to double-check if I correctly understood what "premise" means.

From what I've gathered, a "premise" is a statement or idea that you assume is correct (even if there's no solid proof) to base your argument on.

So I could say "He based his argument on the premise that all the calculations will be perfectly accurate", and that would mean the foundation of his argument is based on the calculations being correct.

Basically, premise = a statement you assume is correct, and you build your argument on. If the "premise" for an argument is false, then the argument falls.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could confirm my understanding!

Edit: sorry for the other 2 duplicate posts!! I assume it was some sort of bug on mobile.

Edit2: explanation for the duplicate posts bug

Discussions

word usage - Meaning of "premise of something?" - English Language Learners Stack Exchange
In the following question: What's the premise of money? What's the premise of email? What's the premise of the book / movie? Does the word 'premise' refer to the reason behind the existence of money, More on ell.stackexchange.com
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March 16, 2019
meaning - "Premise" as a location - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
12 Is it correct to say that the "premise" of the show The walking Dead is that people turn into zombies when they die? 1 What is that word to describe competitors all clustering in the same location for mutual profit? 0 What word means the state of not only obviously appearing to have quality ... More on english.stackexchange.com
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July 26, 2015
What does it mean to leave the premise?
Given the context you provided, I think you may have read it incorrectly (that or this slipped by the editor). It should be ‘leave the premises’, which is just another term for the place they’re in, in this case. It’s usually used in a legal/business context. So he’s literally just saying, “I think it would be dangerous to leave this place right now.” ‘Premises’ is unrelated to the word ‘premise’, at least in meaning, which is what you’re confusing it for, although the plural of ‘premise’ is also unfortunately ‘premises’. More on reddit.com
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May 1, 2021
General meaning of premise and manifest?
my understanding of the word premise basically means the gist. Like the premise of a story is good guy beats bad guy (just an example) That's a good general definition of premise, particularly when it's used in the context of a book or movie. It's basically the central, core, or fundamental idea of something. Often, the premise is a starting point to further explore an idea. For example, a teacher might give a brief and simplified explanation of some topic and then say, "Working from that premise, we can further see that X, Y, and Z is also true," as they expand on the premise of the topic. Manifest... can’t really explain this one. What is its general meaning? The two most common meanings are "to make something appear or happen" and "a list of goods on a ship". For example, you could say, "I thought I was alone in the room, until the ghost manifested in front of me!" In this case, the ghost is technically "manifesting itself" but the "itself" is implied so the ghost just "manifested in front of me" by making itself visible. You could also say something like, "The patient manifested symptoms of an unusual disease, and doctors worked to figure out what it was." As a verb, "manifest" basically just means that something becomes visible or apparent. As an adjective, it means that the thing being described is visible or obvious. For example, "The manifest problems of the machine caused the project to fail." Note that "manifest" isn't often used as an adjective, but you might see it occasionally. The other common definition of "a list of goods on a ship" is just a record of what the ship is carrying. For example, "The captain of the ship had to present the ship's manifest to the officer at the port." The ship's manifest will list all of the crew, passengers, and cargo on the ship. Thank you! You're welcome! More on reddit.com
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February 3, 2021
People also ask

What is meant by "premise"?
In logical argument, a premise is a statement or assumption on which an argument is based. For example, if a person looks at a green apple and says, "this apple is sour," the premises of this argument could be: 1) Green apples are sour. 2) This apple is green.
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study.com
study.com › english courses › humanities 201: critical thinking & analysis
Premise | Definition, Importance & Examples - Lesson | Study.com
What is a premise in an argument?
A premise is one of the ideas or concepts on which an argument is based. The following argument has two premises and one conclusion: 1) Premise: All elephants are big. 2) Premise: Joe is an elephant. 3) Conclusion: Joe is big.
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study.com
study.com › english courses › humanities 201: critical thinking & analysis
Premise | Definition, Importance & Examples - Lesson | Study.com
How can "premise" be used in a sentence?
The following sentence has two premises. One of these premises is explicit (stated) and the other is implicit (not stated). "Trees are beautiful things. We should plant trees." · The explicit premise is "trees are beautiful things." The implicit premises is "we should plant beautiful things." The conclusion is "we should plant trees."
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study.com
study.com › english courses › humanities 201: critical thinking & analysis
Premise | Definition, Importance & Examples - Lesson | Study.com
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Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › premise
Premise - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
A premise is what forms the basis of a theory or a plot. When you called 911 on the guy in your back yard, it was on the premise that he was a thief and not the meter-reader.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Premise
Premise - Wikipedia
February 7, 2026 - A premise or premiss is a proposition—a true or false declarative statement—used in an argument to prove the truth of another proposition called the conclusion. Arguments consist of a set of premises and a conclusion. An argument is meaningful for its conclusion only when all of its premises ...
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Cambridge Dictionary
dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › premises
PREMISES | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
4 days ago - PREMISES definition: 1. the land and buildings owned by someone, especially by a company or organization: 2. the land…. Learn more.
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Study.com
study.com › english courses › humanities 201: critical thinking & analysis
Premise | Definition, Importance & Examples - Lesson | Study.com
July 13, 2024 - Syllogisms are an essential element of deductive reasoning, which is when logical conclusions are drawn from prior statements, rather than from observation. Premises can be explicit, meaning they are explicitly stated, or implicit meaning that they are left unsaid.
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › premise
PREMISE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
PREMISE definition: Also premiss. a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion. See examples of premise used in a sentence.
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Collins Dictionary
collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english › premise
PREMISE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
2 meanings: (ˈprɛmɪs ��) 1. Also (Brit): premiss logic a statement that is assumed to be true for the purpose of an argument.... Click for more definitions.
Published   2 weeks ago
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › dictionary › premise
Premise Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
[count] formal also British premiss : a statement or idea that is accepted as being true and that is used as the basis of an argument
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Longman
ldoceonline.com › dictionary › premise
premise | meaning of premise in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpremiseprem‧ise /ˈpremɪs/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 → premises2 [countable] (also premiss British English)IDEA a statement or idea that you accept as true and use as a base for developing other ideas The idea that there is life on other planets ...
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Cornell Law School
law.cornell.edu › lii › wex › premises
premises | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute
The word “premises” has two common meanings: (1) It is the plural of premise, which is a statement or proposition that serves as the basis for an argument, and from which a conclusion is drawn.
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Dictionary.com
dictionary.com › browse › premises
PREMISES Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com
PREMISES definition: a piece of land together with its buildings, esp considered as a place of business See examples of premises used in a sentence.
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Vocabulary.com
vocabulary.com › dictionary › premises
Premises - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com
The premises of a property consist of the land and buildings on it, usually of a business or organization. If there are no dogs allowed on the premises of a school, you'll have to leave your furry friend at home.
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QuillBot
quillbot.com › home › what’s the meaning of on premise?
What’s the meaning of on premise?
August 21, 2025 - “Premises” here means “a property or building.” A few synonyms for premises are “grounds,” “site,” or “location.” · “On premises” can refer to something within a property or building (e.g., “There is a gym on premises”). In the context of technology, on-premises ...
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WordWeb
wordwebonline.com › en › PREMISE
premise, premised, premises, premising- WordWeb dictionary definition
A statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn "on the premise that he has been injured we can infer that he will not play"; - premiss, assumptionVerb: premise pre-mus · Set forth beforehand, often as an explanation "He premised these remarks so that his readers ...