guess

verb

\ˈges

guessed; guessing; guesses

Definition of guess

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to form an opinion of from little or no evidence She could only guess what he meant.

2 : believe, suppose I guess you're right

3 : to arrive at a correct conclusion about by conjecture, chance, or intuition guess the answer

intransitive verb

: to make a guess We can only guess at what really happened.

guess

noun

Definition of guess (Entry 2 of 2)

: conjecture, surmise I don't know how old you are, but I'll venture a guess.

Other Words from guess Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about guess

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Synonyms for guess

Synonyms: Verb

allow [chiefly Southern & Midland], believe, conceive, consider, deem, esteem, feel, figure, hold, imagine, judge, reckon [chiefly dialect], suppose, think

Synonyms: Noun

conjecture, shot, supposition, surmise

Examples of guess in a Sentence

Verb

Can you guess how many people were there? He guessed that it would rain today. It was colder and windier than I had guessed it would be. She can only guess what he meant. I had to choose one, and I guessed right. If you can't think of an answer, guess. “I just heard why he left her.” “Let me guess—another woman.” As you might have guessed, her parents are not happy about her decision. We can only guess at what really happened. She guessed my age on her first try.

Noun

I'm not sure how old he is, but I'm willing to hazard a guess. My guess is that he'll change his story when he realizes how much trouble he's in.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Washington will keep on guessing, and Trump’s team will keep on searching, but for now, the answer remains a total mystery. — Andrew Prokop, Vox, "Who is the senior Trump official who wrote the New York Times op-ed?," 6 Sep. 2018 Between all the surprise engagements, terrible engagements!, confusing how did that even happen couplings and how did that even happen uncouplings, spring and summer have kept everyone guessing. — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Rejoice in This Video of Jennifer Lopez Singing “Don't Stop Believin’” to Alex Rodriguez on a Yacht," 7 Aug. 2018 Whether that will change it beyond recognition is anyone’s guess. — Steven Erlanger, New York Times, "For Europe, Cutting the Flow of Migrants Challenges Basic Ideals," 5 July 2018 Noticing the minor commotion, the Queen glanced over (whether out of amusement or annoyance is anyone’s guess). — Elise Taylor, Vogue, "Prince George and Princess Charlotte Had the Best Time at Trooping the Colour," 9 June 2018 Where Lil Tay goes from here is truly anyone’s guess. — Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic, "The Lil Tay Saga Reaches Its Logical Conclusion," 24 May 2018 Whether the new reminder will also prompt drivers to break that unseen barrier that generally prevents the chauffeur from urging his passengers to wear a seat belt is anyone’s guess. — Fredrick Kunkle, Washington Post, "Uber will use its app to remind riders to buckle up," 23 May 2018 What Tarantino’s story idea might have been is anyone’s guess. — Sam Ferguson, Ars Technica, "A dozen years after near-death, Star Trek’s future may be stronger than ever," 19 May 2018 Whether any of the storms that form make landfall is anyone’s guess, but The Weather Company, Colorado State University, and North Carolina State University have each predicted above-average activity. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "America Is Not Ready for This (Again)," 15 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Only in Ojai, one guesses, has an elderly audience member come up to him in tears, thanking him for the experience. — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, "The Sonic Fury of the Ojai Music Festival," 24 June 2018 Hutchinson guesses there are a few factors that helped Kipchoge. — Teal Burrell, Discover Magazine, "Human Speed," 15 June 2018 Three guesses as to who was less than thrilled about all of that. — Mike Scott, NOLA.com, "'Southern Charm New Orleans' Episode 7: Or, the one in which Tamica Lee gets served," 29 May 2018 Chances are the snow-white mountain goat was not your first guess, but these nimble creatures that wander the steep cliffs of Glacier National Park are well-worth your attention. — Tyler Moss, Condé Nast Traveler, "8 Best Places to See Wildlife in the U.S.," 23 Apr. 2018 One wild guess: save for the DC association, Blackhawk’s plot sounds tailor-made for the filmmaker. — Yohana Desta, HWD, "Why Is Steven Spielberg Joining DC’s Superhero Universe?," 18 Apr. 2018 But Khloé is now saying that the guess, while sweet, is actually inaccurate. — Megan Decker, Harper's BAZAAR, "Khloé Kardashian Just Shut Down Rumors About What She'll Name Her Baby," 19 Mar. 2018 The answer—or at least scientists’ best guess—might surprise you. — Lee Billings, Scientific American, "A New Recipe for Hunting Alien Life," 24 Jan. 2018 Whether these changes will be enough to mollify the concerns of privacy experts, lawmakers and the FTC, is anyone's guess. — Christopher Carbone, Fox News, "Facebook data scandal prompts redesign of settings, privacy pages," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'guess.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for guess

Verb

Middle English gessen, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Norwegian & Swedish gissa to guess, Middle Dutch gissen, gessen, Old Norse geta to get, guess — more at get

Noun

see guess entry 1

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