guess

verb \ ˈges \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of guess

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.

—

guessable

play \ˈge-sə-bəl\ adjective

—

guesser

noun

See guess defined for English-language learners

See guess defined for kids

Examples of guess in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of guess from the Web

Former White House economic adviser Gary Cohn emphasized to colleagues the importance to markets of not publicly second-guessing monetary-policy decisions.

— nick timiraos, WSJ, "Trump Breaches Precedent by Commenting on Currency Values," 16 Apr. 2018
Who that rookie quarterback will be is anyone’s guess.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dolphins hosting quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen on draft visits," 12 Apr. 2018
Until then the planet’s true status will remain uncertain—and astronomers will likely continue second-guessing a handful of other Kepler finds.

— john wenz, Scientific American, "Study Casts Doubt on Existence of a Potential “Earth 2.0”," 9 Apr. 2018
Reigning MLS MVP Diego Valeri converted the penalty kick in the 20th minute, even though Orlando City goalkeeper Joe Bendik guessed correctly in his attempt to stop the shot.

— jordan culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City rallies for 3-2 win over Portland Timbers," 8 Apr. 2018
But can people guess the ancestors of mixed breeds?

— katie langin, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: black hole swarms, scientific misconduct, and recognizing mutt breeds," 6 Apr. 2018
The total over the life of the initiative is anyone’s guess, although Chinese officials seem comfortable with a number in excess of $1trn.

— The Economist, "Will China’s Belt and Road Initiative outdo the Marshall Plan?," 8 Mar. 2018
And guess who comes along in Boston, but Carlton Fisk?

— gary d'amato, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "D'Amato: Memories are fresh for West Allis native Don Pavletich in career that ended with brush with Brewers," 30 Mar. 2018
When they will be completed remains anyone’s guess.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "Uber told Arizona governor’s office about AV testing months before public knew," 29 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.

Origin and Etymology of guess

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

guess Synonyms

guess

noun

Definition of guess

: conjecture, surmise

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

See guess defined for English-language learners

Examples of guess in a Sentence

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 of guess from the Web

My guess is more schools would like to have her for her offense.

— rick armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Double trouble: Waubonsee ace Nicole Krupp finds added role as home run hitter," 19 Apr. 2018
My guess is the New Orleans Saints have educated themselves on this year's NFL Draft tight end class like the Cleveland Browns have dissected the quarterback group.

— larry holder, NOLA.com, "Tight end still a Saints 'must' addition in NFL Draft," 17 Apr. 2018
The Heat open against Philadelphia on Saturday night, and my guess is the 76ers in seven games.

— dave hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde5: Amendola talks Dolphins, Belichick and moving on," 14 Apr. 2018
My guess is an arena would make sense to Tsai only if there’s enough projected inventory — both sports and non-sports — to pencil out the project without having to secure an NBA or NHL team.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Are San Diegans right to doubt NFL, NBA or NHL planting here?," 11 Apr. 2018
My guess is upscale north-siders probably aren’t so worried about the negative consequences if their kid gets busted.

— ben joravsky, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics / Race Another ‘grass gap’ in Chicago opens between blacks and whites on legalization," 2 Apr. 2018
In the case of Tiangong-1, though, the end is close enough for educated guesses to be made.

— The Economist, "An out-of-control Chinese space station will soon fall to Earth," 15 Mar. 2018
How inflation will affect prices in the future is anyone's guess, but our best bet is to look to history.

— mary hunt, Woman's Day, "Everything You Need to Know About Retirement Planning," 13 Feb. 2018
This is just a guess, not based on anything someone has told me directly.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Ranking KU's tournament losses under Self, plus Royals & Chiefs | The Kansas City Star," 3 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of guess

see ¹guess

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

guess Synonyms

Synonyms

conjecture, shot, supposition, surmise;

dead reckoning, guessing, guesswork, speculation;

hunch, intuition;

belief, faith;

Phrases

shot in the dark;

GUESS Defined for English Language Learners

guess

verb

Definition of guess for English Language Learners

: to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it
: to guess (something) correctly : to make a correct conclusion about (someone or something) by chance
: to suppose or think (something)

guess

noun

Definition of guess for English Language Learners

: an attempt to give an opinion or answer about something when you do not know much about it or are not sure about it

GUESS Defined for Kids

guess

verb \ ˈges \

Definition of guess for Students

guessed; guessing

1 : to form an opinion or give an answer about from little or no information

Guess what I got for my birthday.

2 : to solve correctly mainly by chance

I guessed the riddle.

3 : think 1, suppose Are you ready? I guess so.

—

guesser

noun

guess

noun

Definition of guess for Students

: an opinion or answer that is reached with little information or by chance

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guess

Definition of guess

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Origin and Etymology of guess

guess Synonyms

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GUESS Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of guess for English Language Learners

guess

Definition of guess for English Language Learners

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