guesstimate

noun

guess·​ti·​mate ˈge-stə-mət How to pronounce guesstimate (audio)
: an estimate usually made without adequate information
guesstimate transitive verb

Examples of guesstimate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With these new tactics has come a new politics, in which popular legitimacy depends less on the media’s guesstimates of the size of a crowd but on the actual numbers of people seen camped out in certain squares. Roger Owen, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2013 Musk previously offered a ballpark cost for Optimus at somewhere under $20,000—although his accuracy in such guesstimates aren’t great. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Dec. 2023 No one really knows just how much material OSIRIS-REx managed to grab from Bennu—although informed guesstimates from Lockheed Martin personnel peg the amount within a range of about 150 to 350 grams. Leonard David, Scientific American, 24 Sep. 2023 So don’t put your faith in human-year guesstimates. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 16 June 2023 And my guesstimate of 5 percent will be conservative for some states. Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, 12 Sep. 2022 The production schedule has some elasticity in it, but Dodge's initial guesstimate calls for a mere 2000 examples to be produced. Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 20 July 2022 One early guesstimate located the heliopause as close as Jupiter. Tim Folger, Scientific American, 18 June 2022 When planting a crop, a Christmas tree farmer has to decide — or guesstimate — what varieties customers will want to buy almost a decade later when that crop is ready to be sold. Kori Rumore, chicagotribune.com, 25 Nov. 2021

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

Word History

Etymology

blend of guess and estimate

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guesstimate was in 1923

Dictionary Entries Near guesstimate

Cite this Entry

“Guesstimate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guesstimate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

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