guess

1 of 2

verb

guessed; guessing; guesses
Synonyms of guessnext

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
4
used often with so to indicate half-hearted or uncertain confirmation or agreement
"Are you done?" "I guess so."

intransitive verb

: to make a guess
We can only guess at what really happened.
guessable adjective
guesser noun

guess

2 of 2

noun

: an attempt to give an opinion or answer about something based on limited or insufficient information : conjecture, surmise
I don't know how old you are, but I'll venture a guess.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Berg guessed that the flagellar motor was a rotor that turned the flagellum like a screw. Quanta Magazine, 20 Apr. 2026 June, who posted about selling 174 copies of a 2024 release this past holiday season, says the lack of transparency leaves writers guessing about what success actually looks like. Josh Rivera, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
Noun
That makes his landing spot — or even a selection — anybody's guess. ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026 At the meeting, city staff admitted that the proper number of signatures was just a guess. John Ramos, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for guess

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

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

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guess was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Guess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guess. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

guess

verb
ˈges
1
: to form an opinion from little or no evidence
2
: to solve correctly by or as if by chance
we guessed the riddle
3
: believe sense 5, suppose
I guess you're right
guess noun
guesser noun

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