be supposed to
English
Pronunciation
Verb
be supposed to (third-person singular simple present is supposed to, present participle being supposed to, simple past was supposed to, past participle been supposed to)
- (idiomatic) To be required to, ought to, expected to
- I am supposed to report to the police every week.
- Paul is supposed to call his mother every day.
- (idiomatic, with not) To be permitted to.
- I am not supposed to smoke there.
- (idiomatic, in interrogative or similar situations) To be expected to; to be capable of (used to indicate that an expectation is impossible or unreasonable in the context).
- How am I supposed to work in all this racket?
- What was he supposed to do—just sit there and do nothing?
- (idiomatic) To intended to; to be expected to; to believed to.
- It's supposed to rain.
- The thief is supposed to be hiding in the forest.
Usage notes
- Followed by an obligatory bare infinitive.
- Often implies that the opposite is a strong possibility.
Translations
Required to
References
- “be supposed to”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
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