as in guessing
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmising
Verb
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Leave curb-appeal gawkers guessing with a DIY trash bin enclosure with a planter top.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 May 2026 -
That may have been in part to keep any adversaries (or lone wolves) guessing.—
Neil Flanagan,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Verb
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With a razor-thin majority, the Speaker can afford to lose only two GOP votes on any party-line bill, assuming that all members are present and Democrats are united in opposition.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
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Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Invitees were hoping and suspecting McCartney might pop in for a wave or a comment before or after the listening session.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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Surely seventh graders are capable of understanding that people need to get along with one another, rather than living in a constant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Now, fans are speculating that one of the world’s most famous power couples, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, could make a joint appearance at fashion’s biggest night.—
Allison DeGrushe,
StyleCaster,
4 May 2026
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There were times, between when the film was shot in 2021 and its period of post-production limbo, when crew members were openly speculating about it never seeing the light of day.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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