as in guesses
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 assumes
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
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Recent Examples of surmises
Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Cohen surmises that the home was the first on the block.
—Culture Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2026
Morgan correctly surmises that a misdelivered piece of mail was a move by the Game Master and not just a fuckup by the postal service.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
In the study, Ned correctly surmises that Colum riled Dougal up into beating Malcolm so that Colum could be seen as the cooler head/better leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Upon entering the house, Donnie surmises there is an orgy-type party going on.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Cohen surmises that the home was the first on the block.
—Culture Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2026
Morgan correctly surmises that a misdelivered piece of mail was a move by the Game Master and not just a fuckup by the postal service.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
In the study, Ned correctly surmises that Colum riled Dougal up into beating Malcolm so that Colum could be seen as the cooler head/better leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmises
Noun
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But whether that happens is anyone’s guess — or to be more specific, tens of thousands of guesses.—
Bernard Condon,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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Recent deals in the shaky apartment market for Oakland might help shove property values lower in the coming weeks as the Alameda County Assessor’s Office finalizes its latest guesses for property values in its jurisdiction.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When a single photon is sent through the wall, classical physics assumes that the photon will travel through either of the slits and reach the other side.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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In the news discovery phase, the agenda-building theory assumes that issues arise in an interplay between media, politics, and society.—
Florian Wintterlin,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Leo’s fine, one supposes, as evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, but the role is not a natural fit for him.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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The first theory supposes that the Big Bang produced dense spots that didn’t collapse immediately.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As for what’s next, Puck speculates that another season 1 writer will be elevated to showrunner if the show is renewed.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Apr. 2026
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Portnoy also speculates that the backlash for the Unwell Winter Games and Sofia Franklyn’s upcoming memoir is adding fuel to the Cooper fire.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One thinks of the citizens of Buffy’s Sunnydale, blithely going about their business, not moving away despite being located on a Hellmouth.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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But Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG, thinks the Fed should formally change its policy stance.—
Steve Liesman,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But that presumes past voting patterns hold in November.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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The message of terrorism speaks to anyone who believes that violence is a natural response to political differences, and who presumes that they may not be seen or heard otherwise.—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The medical team suspects the medication isn't working.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2026
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OpenAI suspects that Musk is using the litigation as a delay tactic while his own AI firm, xAI—recently folded into SpaceX—races to catch up to OpenAI’s lead after the launch of ChatGPT in 2022.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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