second-guess

verb

sec·​ond-guess ˌse-kᵊŋ-ˈges 

-kən(d)-

second-guessed; second-guessing; second-guesses

transitive verb

1

: to criticize or question actions or decisions of (someone) often after the results of those actions or decisions are known

meet almost every morning and, over coffee, second-guess the local coach

—Bruce Newman

also : to engage in such criticism of (an action or decision)

second-guess the general's strategy

2

: to seek to anticipate or predict

lived royally by his ability to second-guess the stock market

—Time

second-guesser noun

Examples of second-guess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Struggling with a lack of career opportunities, Gen Z is second-guessing the worth of pricey college degrees, which once promised them six-figure jobs. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025

Captain Keegan Bradley, who had hoped for a home-soil comeback, has openly shared his regrets, second-guessing aspects like the course setup. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025

Production on season one had fallen woefully behind schedule, as whole episodes were scrapped, scripts were written at the eleventh hour and producers, including Bell, began second-guessing the series’ tone. —Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025

Woo wasn’t quite prepared for how much stricter the American industry was about everything, from second-guessing the director to how violence is depicted. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 19 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

second-guess

verb

sec·​ond-guess

ˌsek-ᵊŋ-ˈges,

-ən-

1

: to question or criticize actions or decisions of (someone) often after the results of those actions or decisions are known

2

: predict

second-guesser noun