guess

1 of 2

verb

ˈges 

guessed; guessing; guesses

transitive verb

1

: to form an opinion of from little or no evidence

She could only guess what he meant.

2

: believe, suppose

I guess you're right

3

: to arrive at a correct conclusion about by conjecture, chance, or intuition

guess the answer

intransitive verb

: to make a guess

We can only guess at what really happened.

guessable

ˈge-sə-bəl 

adjective

guesser noun

guess

2 of 2

noun

: conjecture, surmise

I don't know how old you are, but I'll venture a guess.

Synonyms

Verb

• assume
• conjecture
• daresay
• imagine
• presume
• speculate
• suppose
• surmise
• suspect
• suspicion [chiefly dialect]

Noun

• conjecture
• shot
• supposition
• surmise

Examples of guess in a Sentence

Verb

Can you guess how many people were there?

He guessed that it would rain today.

It was colder and windier than I had guessed it would be.

She can only guess what he meant.

I had to choose one, and I guessed right.

If you can't think of an answer, guess.

“I just heard why he left her.” “Let me guess—another woman.”

As you might have guessed, her parents are not happy about her decision.

We can only guess at what really happened.

She guessed my age on her first try.

Noun

I'm not sure how old he is, but I'm willing to hazard a guess.

My guess is that he'll change his story when he realizes how much trouble he's in.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The first set of trick-or-treaters, a young girl and boy, guessed who Rodriguez was supposed to be for Halloween. —Ilana Kaplan, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Before the announcement, some people online guessed Starburst chews, Twizzlers, Sweet Tart ropes and Runtz. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Noun

Here are some best guesses about what could happen to the tax code in relation to estate planning matters. —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Based on the trends above, our best guess as to when Red Cup Day will happen in 2024 is Thursday, Nov. 14. —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English gessen, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian & Swedish gissa to guess, Middle Dutch gissen, gessen, Old Norse geta to get, guess — more at get

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing guess

• another-guess
• anybody's/anyone's guess
• second-guess
• someone's guess is as good as mine
• wild guess

Kids Definition

guess

verb

ˈges

1

: to form an opinion from little or no evidence

2

: to solve correctly by or as if by chance

we guessed the riddle

3

: believe sense 5, suppose

I guess you're right

guess noun

guesser noun