as in guessing
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
I speculate that someone has been using this cabin as a trysting place
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Recent Examples of speculating
One fan account called @beyscatalog on X alleged that the singer's next album will be announced in connection to the Met Gala, speculating that a lead single release could be scheduled for next month and a full album released this summer.
—
Caché McClay, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
People started speculating that the two rekindled their romance, after she was spotted in the stands at one of his races in May 2025.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Prior to Trump’s statement, few if any were speculating on such a solution.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Gamow and Stern made a joke of it, speculating that perhaps new cars were continuously being made on the building’s roof and sent down for storage in the basement.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
The second the news dropped that Joy Division/New Order were finally entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, fans began speculating about what might happen the night of the induction ceremony.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
But Zeigler’s attorneys are only speculating in their latest request.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
From the moment Nancy Guthrie disappeared, people started speculating about what might have happened, and some of that speculation centered on Savanah’s sister Annie and her husband.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Apr. 2026
Boring would have been Kamala Harris holding a commanding lead for the Democratic nomination and people speculating whether anyone could stop her.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Caché McClay, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
People started speculating that the two rekindled their romance, after she was spotted in the stands at one of his races in May 2025.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 Apr. 2026
Prior to Trump’s statement, few if any were speculating on such a solution.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Gamow and Stern made a joke of it, speculating that perhaps new cars were continuously being made on the building’s roof and sent down for storage in the basement.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 21 Apr. 2026
The second the news dropped that Joy Division/New Order were finally entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, fans began speculating about what might happen the night of the induction ceremony.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
But Zeigler’s attorneys are only speculating in their latest request.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026
From the moment Nancy Guthrie disappeared, people started speculating about what might have happened, and some of that speculation centered on Savanah’s sister Annie and her husband.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 16 Apr. 2026
Boring would have been Kamala Harris holding a commanding lead for the Democratic nomination and people speculating whether anyone could stop her.
—Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculating
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
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
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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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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
-
Boston fans can start thinking about the second round.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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And Kibu is hardly the only company thinking about how to achieve ideal ID verification.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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