: a thought or idea based on scanty evidence : conjecture
surmised; surmising
Synonyms
Examples of surmise in a Sentence
Noun
my surmise is that the couple's “good news” is the announcement that they are going to have a baby
Verb
We can only surmise what happened.
He must have surmised that I was not interested.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
But watching it last night, I was struck with a wild surmise about the characters’ potential origin.
—Vulture, 22 Dec. 2023
Elizabeth Friend, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2024
Although telescopes from Earth detected gases on Pluto in 1988, researchers surmised that the tiny planet was losing them too quickly to build up a permanent layer in its skies.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
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Noun
Like the extended music video surmises, Lopez’s search for love in all forms is born out of not feeling loved enough as a child.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
But watching it last night, I was struck with a wild surmise about the characters’ potential origin.
—Vulture, 22 Dec. 2023
Verb
An account of how the car, which turned completely over, came to such a mishap, could not be obtained, but it is surmised that the sharp curve in the road at that point and the slippery condition of the pavement last night must have had much to do with it.
—Elizabeth Friend, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2024
Although telescopes from Earth detected gases on Pluto in 1988, researchers surmised that the tiny planet was losing them too quickly to build up a permanent layer in its skies.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surmise
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Cite this Entry
“Surmise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surmise. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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surmise
2 of 2 noun
sur·mise
sər-ˈmīz 
ˈsər-ˌmīz
: a thought or idea based on little evidence : conjecture
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