second-guess

verb

sec·​ond-guess ˌse-kᵊŋ-ˈges How to pronounce second-guess (audio)
-kən(d)-
second-guessed; second-guessing; second-guesses

transitive verb

1
: to criticize or question actions or decisions of (someone) often after the results of those actions or decisions are known
meet almost every morning and, over coffee, second-guess the local coachBruce Newman
also : to engage in such criticism of (an action or decision)
second-guess the general's strategy
2
: to seek to anticipate or predict
lived royally by his ability to second-guess the stock marketTime
second-guesser noun

Examples of second-guess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Don’t second-guess yourself; follow your gut feeling and protect yourself and your reputation. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 2 June 2024 Studios may start second-guessing inflated budgets for certain projects. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 31 May 2024 Such a colossal failure might reasonably lead observers to second-guess the United States’ long-standing cyberstrategy. Rob Knake, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2021 Trump’s lawyers, on the other hand, drew plenty of second-guessing for a legal strategy that revolved around denying not only the crime, but that Trump ever had an affair with Daniels. Tessa Berenson Rogers, TIME, 30 May 2024 When considering Gemini’s need to obtain the facts, this crystal can encourage them to pursue their goals without second-guessing themselves and succumbing to self-doubt. Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024 Now, some surfers and other Baja California adventurers are second-guessing what the future might hold for such trips. San Diego Union Tribune, Orange County Register, 14 May 2024 No second-guessing If only a certain reckless ex-president had acted with as much responsibility and dispatch. Mark Z. Barabak, The Mercury News, 11 May 2024 Southers second-guessed some aspects of the initiative in a 2017 Times op-ed. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'second-guess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of second-guess was in 1941

Dictionary Entries Near second-guess

Cite this Entry

“Second-guess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/second-guess. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

second-guess

verb
sec·​ond-guess
ˌsek-ᵊŋ-ˈges,
-ən-
1
: to question or criticize actions or decisions of (someone) often after the results of those actions or decisions are known
2
second-guesser noun

More from Merriam-Webster on second-guess

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