opined; opining

intransitive verb

: to express opinions
You may opine about anything you want.

transitive verb

: to state as an opinion
opined that the nominee was not fit to serve on the Supreme Court

Did you know?

Opine is not a back-formation of opinion. Both words come from Middle French opiner, meaning "to express one's opinion," and Latin opīnārī, "to have in mind" or "to think." And they were thought up as words for the English language independently at different times.

Example Sentences

Many people opine that the content of Web pages should be better regulated. You can opine about any subject you like.
Recent Examples on the Web Like Evans, Buffington opined that high doses of midazolam would leave the prisoner unable to feel pain. Lauren Gill, ProPublica, 29 Apr. 2023 Jaime opined how emotional Carolyn was, but how her emotions were all calculated. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 18 May 2023 Shareholders flocked to Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha, where Buffett and longtime business partner Charlie Munger opined on the EV boom, the banking crisis, and U.S.-China relations. Alan Murray, Fortune, 8 May 2023 Across TikTok, creators opine that the luxury logomania that thrived over the past several years — putting a Balenciaga logo hoodie over a Supreme T-shirt and Gucci-print sweatpants — is hardly the uniform of the one percent. Rachel Tashjian, Washington Post, 7 May 2023 Sheffield is an outspoken advocate for the U.S. shale sector, appearing regularly at energy conferences and in television interviews to opine on everything from OPEC to government regulation. Paul O'donnell, Dallas News, 26 Apr. 2023 Instead, the Court opined that the Skidmore factors should be applied to determine if some lower level of deference is due. David Herzig, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 Glenn O’Brien, a former editor of Interview magazine, opined on the New York sports landscape. Alex Williams, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2023 The administration's new policies aren't always matching up to the reality on the ground, opines the Los Angeles Times editorial board. Joel Mathis, The Week, 12 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'opine.' 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

Middle English opinen "to hold an opinion, think (that something is the case)," borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French opiner "to express one's view, be of the opinion (that)," borrowed from Latin opīnārī "to hold as an opinion, think, have in mind," of obscure origin

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of opine was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near opine

Cite this Entry

“Opine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opine. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

opine

verb
opined; opining
: to have or express an opinion

More from Merriam-Webster on opine

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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