as in guess
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence
my surmise is that the couple's "good news" is the announcement that they are going to have a baby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to guess
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
we surmised that she had purchased the apple pie since there was a bakery box on the kitchen counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surmise
Melissa Healystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
Instead, Rodrigues and Ohlrogge surmise, the glut of retail investors are probably not showing up for the vote.
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 7 Sep. 2022
Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
This could be surmised as experimental evidence for the physical mechanism of the materials.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surmise
Noun
One surmise is that the syndrome is caused by residual viral debris that continues to activate and/or exhaust the immune system.
—Melissa Healystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
Instead, Rodrigues and Ohlrogge surmise, the glut of retail investors are probably not showing up for the vote.
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 7 Sep. 2022
Verb
State economists have surmised over the past year that the rise in unemployment is less about people losing their jobs and more about those entering or reentering the labor market needing more time to find work.
—Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
This could be surmised as experimental evidence for the physical mechanism of the materials.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surmise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmise
Noun
-
While the resources needed to bombard Dashlane servers with that volume of guesses in such a short period of time are possible, they’re not commonly found in usual brute-force attacks.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
-
Probably 40-something would be my guess.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Pack further assumed that anyone with valuable information about Guthrie’s alleged kidnapping is likely not sleeping well these days.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
4 June 2026
-
Because the world assumes that all people are heteronormative and cisgenger, kids can often be on the back foot when talking about their relationships and identity.—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Those marching orders left opponents and free speech advocates in disbelief, wondering how park employees were supposed to put a sunny spin on monuments acknowledging slavery, Jim Crow laws and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
What was supposed to be a routine practice quickly became a staggering disaster.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The submarine never returned from patrol and was officially presumed lost after failing to report back to Midway in July 1944.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
2 June 2026
-
You are presumed to be not guilty.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmise. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
