surmise

1 of 2

noun

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

ˈsər-ˌmīz

: a thought or idea based on scanty evidence : conjecture

surmise

2 of 2

verb

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

surmised; surmising

transitive verb

: to form a notion of from scanty evidence : imagine, infer

Synonyms of surmise

Noun

• guess

Verb

• guess
• assume
• suppose
• presume

Examples of surmise in a Sentence

Noun

my surmise is that the couple's “good news” is the announcement that they are going to have a baby

Verb

We can only surmise what happened.

He must have surmised that I was not interested.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Nothing in your life has dissuaded you from these early surmises. — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026

But watching it last night, I was struck with a wild surmise about the characters’ potential origin. — Vulture, 22 Dec. 2023

Verb

In a recent survey of the state of twee music, Mason Mann, a member of Josephine’s Next Million Miles—a newer act that owes a lot to the homespun indie pop of the ’80s and ’90s—surmised that the core of the genre was not joy, but pain. — Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026

Bastian’s wife surmises that Johann must be a relative, and he is invited to eat. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, allegation, charge, from Anglo-French, from feminine of surmis, past participle of surmettre to place on, suppose, accuse, from Medieval Latin supermittere, from Late Latin, to place on, from Latin super- + mittere to let go, send

Verb

Middle English, to allege, from surmise, noun

First Known Use

Noun

1569, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for surmise

• advise
• applies
• apprise
• arise
• assize
• baptize
• belies
• bitwise
• capsize
• chastise
• chordwise
• clockwise

Kids Definition

surmise

1 of 2 verb

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

surmised; surmising

: to form an idea of based on very little evidence : guess

surmise

2 of 2 noun

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

ˈsər-ˌmīz

: a thought or idea based on little evidence : conjecture