Definition of "predispose" [pre•dis•pose]

• To make (someone) inclined to something in advance: His good manners predispose people in his favor. See Synonyms at incline. (verb-transitive)
• To make susceptible or liable: conditions that predispose miners to lung disease. (verb-transitive)
• Archaic To settle or dispose of in advance. (verb-transitive)
• To provide an inclination or susceptibility: a genetic trait that predisposes to the development of cancer. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "NYU College of Dentistry researcher Dr. Gustavo D. Cruz has found that immigrants 'ethnicity and country of origin predispose them to caries and periodontal disease."
• "The key, Wilson said, is the group: Under certain circumstances, groups of cooperators can out-compete groups of non-cooperators, thereby ensuring that their genes -- including the ones that predispose them to cooperation -- are handed down to future generations."
• "If sustained, the dietary choices made by people undergoing short sleep could predispose them to obesity and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, the researchers wrote in an American Heart Association news release."