as in speculation
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1
as in assuming
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
though she does not speak with an accent, I would still guess that she is a foreigner
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in estimating
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement
I would guess the road goes for about two miles before you have to take a left
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in thinking
to have as an opinion
I never would have guessed that she was capable of such a terrible thing
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of guessing
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
By the afternoon, your confidence grows — no more second-guessing.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Even the smartest energy insiders on the planet are now doing a fair bit of guessing.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
There’s a new wrinkle in the ongoing guessing game of where and when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
No guessing, no buying random products because someone on Instagram told you to.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Like the northern lights, comet visibility is a big guessing game.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 23 Mar. 2026
That's a lot of hemming and hawing, a lot of second- and triple-guessing, and a bevy of rewatches to gauge the worthiness of being part of a historically significant canon.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
For both players, there was no second-guessing.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Forty-eight hours before Pearlman was guessing the name of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s unborn daughter, back on Hollywood Boulevard, Kimmel downshifted from Donald to Melania.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
Her every moment keeps the audience guessing.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Prediction markets love the president’s unpredictability, his need to keep people guessing about his next move or social media post, leading to more wagers in these betting venues and more fees for them.
—Bernard Condon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Lead with calm confidence instead of second guessing yourself.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
June, who posted about selling 174 copies of a 2024 release this past holiday season, says the lack of transparency leaves writers guessing about what success actually looks like.
—Josh Rivera, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
None of us knows what will occur — and so far, guessing about the outcome has been frightfully dangerous and has yielded nothing investable.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
Miss Manners is guessing that your response leaned toward the latter, and was therefore something less than mannerly.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Noun
This saves a frustrating guessing game during reinstallation — especially in homes where windows look similar but vary slightly in size.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
By the afternoon, your confidence grows — no more second-guessing.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Even the smartest energy insiders on the planet are now doing a fair bit of guessing.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
There’s a new wrinkle in the ongoing guessing game of where and when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
No guessing, no buying random products because someone on Instagram told you to.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Like the northern lights, comet visibility is a big guessing game.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 23 Mar. 2026
That's a lot of hemming and hawing, a lot of second- and triple-guessing, and a bevy of rewatches to gauge the worthiness of being part of a historically significant canon.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
For both players, there was no second-guessing.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Verb
Frey keeps hitters guessing because of his rare ability to throw five different pitches for strikes.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Forty-eight hours before Pearlman was guessing the name of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s unborn daughter, back on Hollywood Boulevard, Kimmel downshifted from Donald to Melania.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
Her every moment keeps the audience guessing.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Prediction markets love the president’s unpredictability, his need to keep people guessing about his next move or social media post, leading to more wagers in these betting venues and more fees for them.
—Bernard Condon, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Lead with calm confidence instead of second guessing yourself.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2026
June, who posted about selling 174 copies of a 2024 release this past holiday season, says the lack of transparency leaves writers guessing about what success actually looks like.
—Josh Rivera, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
None of us knows what will occur — and so far, guessing about the outcome has been frightfully dangerous and has yielded nothing investable.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
Miss Manners is guessing that your response leaned toward the latter, and was therefore something less than mannerly.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guessing
Noun
-
This past offseason, discussion and speculation around Major League Baseball was that the Los Angeles Dodgers would be responsible for destroying the sport and the 2027 season.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Ponton, who first sparked dating speculation with Burrow in December 2024, was wearing an all-black look in a crop top and mini skirt, pairing it with black heels and a red clutch.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report To Err Is Human shocked the nation by estimating that 44,000 to 98,000 Americans were dying each year from preventable medical errors.—
Joe Kiani,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Across the country, most jobs now require education or training beyond high school, with research estimating that close to three-quarters of jobs will require postsecondary education by 2031.—
Jessica Handy,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Boston fans can start thinking about the second round.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
And Kibu is hardly the only company thinking about how to achieve ideal ID verification.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Stirs some theories, too, about said coach’s real feelings about the pick.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In a new book, Geoff Kelly traces how the artworks moved through criminal networks, where violence took the lives of key suspects and witnesses, and challenges long-circulating theories by revisiting key details.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
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
-
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
-
Working with the Calling All Dreamers advisors, Christine Wonderson is figuring how to break the business down into more achievable chunks, rather than trying to do everything at once.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen will need to step up, with Alex Vesia also figuring to factor into Roberts’ late-inning plans.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Brown griped about the officiating, believing the refs missed some calls at the basket.—
CBS New York Team,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Some former critics, believing that local news was too important to disappear, began to rethink their aversion toward publicly funding journalism in the United States.—
Corey Hutchins,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Guessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guessing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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