verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:P R IY2 D IH0 S P OW1 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To make someone susceptible to something (such as a disease).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To make someone inclined to something in advance; to influence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
make susceptible
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
This illness predisposes you to gain weight
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: dispose, incline
History
Etymology
Either a back-formation from predisposition or borrowed from Middle French predisposer.
Across languages
Translations
1 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Greek:
προδιαθέτω
(prodiathéto)
— to influence someone or something beforehand