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

When everything is visible and grouped by type, color or occasion, your brain stops second-guessing whether a better option is buried in the back. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2026

The Supreme Court justices agreed, in an unsigned opinion, that federal courts should not second-guess state courts under a 1996 federal law that was intended to reduce federal court oversight of state criminal trials. —CBS News, 22 June 2026

Fans will love the trade at the time and then second-guess it when the other team has the star player. —Jim Bowden, New York Times, 16 June 2026

That pressure can make a smart person second-guess their gut. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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