take for granted

idiomatic phrase

1

: to assume (something) as true, real, unquestionable, or to be expected

We took our invitation to the party for granted. = We took it for granted that we'd be invited to the party. [=we assumed we'd be invited and did not think about the possibility that we wouldn't be]

What I will call the "old" middle class rose to prominence in the Forties, Fifties, and Sixties, when economic growth was taken for granted and opportunity was abundant.

—Alan Wolfe

2

: to value (something or someone) too lightly : to fail to properly notice or appreciate (someone or something that should be valued)

We often take our freedom for granted.

I'm tired of being taken for granted.

Examples of take for granted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The ability to walk effortlessly and comfortably is easy to take for granted, but individuals who have experienced the common foot condition known as plantar fasciitis appreciate just how nice pain-free walking can be. —Daryl Austin, USA TODAY, 15 May 2023

Instead, they were encouraged to open up with questions like: What’s one thing about you that people take for granted? —Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2023

After he was sworn into office at the state armory in Hartford, Lamont, who turned 69 on Tuesday, urged the crowd to never take for granted that there has always been a smooth transition of power in Connecticut. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2023

The report suggested that as the I.R.S. tried to work its way through Mr. Trump’s maze of tax returns, revenue agents appeared to take for granted that the assertions made by Mr. Trump’s accounting firm were true. —Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1