speculate
verb
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Definition of speculate
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Other Words from speculate
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noun
Synonyms for speculate
Synonyms
assume, conjecture, daresay, guess, imagine, presume, suppose, surmise, suspect, suspicion [chiefly dialect]
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Examples of speculate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Then, fans started speculating about Swift's outfit. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Taylor Swift's Surprise Night Out at the 2019 Golden Globes: Everything We Know," 7 Jan. 2019 Its upper jaw is equipped with a set of 14 stubby teeth, which has led scientists to speculate about their subterranean diet of insects and spiders. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Place to Find a Snake Is Inside a Different Snake," 21 Dec. 2018 Initial reports said the girl had died of dehydration, but the family has asked media to stop speculating about the cause of death until a formal autopsy is conducted this week. — Dara Lind, Vox, "The death of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin in Border Patrol custody isn’t an isolated outrage," 18 Dec. 2018 The press has been speculating about which ministers or officials might lose their jobs. — Elaine Ganley, The Seattle Times, "Macron takes responsibility for scandal over aide’s violence," 24 July 2018 The tabloids feverishly speculated about who would perform the role. — Diane Atkinson, Time, "Meghan Markle Should Walk Down the Aisle Alone and Not Pass From One 'Owner' to Another," 18 May 2018 Scholars have since discovered Hurston plagiarized significantly from Roche’s interviews and speculated about Hurston’s transgression, citing her frustration with her lacking material. — Anna Diamond, Smithsonian, "Zora Neale Hurston’s ‘Barracoon’ Tells the Story of the Slave Trade’s Last Survivor," 2 May 2018 Regardless, the property is burdened by debt, and observers speculate that the asking price was inflated as much to help the owners refinance as to drive PR. — Alex Bhattacharji, Town & Country, "An Empty Lot Above Beverly Hills Is the Most Expensive Real Estate in the World," 17 Jan. 2019 Some gossip sites speculated wildly about the reasons for her pregnancy and her child's paternity. — Hanna Lustig, Teen Vogue, "Jamie Lynn Spears Claims the Real Reason Zoey 101 Ended Wasn't Pregnancy," 10 Jan. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'speculate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for speculate
speculator
nounFinancial Definition of speculator
What It Is
A speculator is a person or an entity that trades securities essentially as bets that the price will go up or down, and as such, typically has an above-average risk tolerance.
How It Works
Although one can argue that all investment is speculation, an acknowledged speculator will buy or sell a security solely to reap a typically short-term profit from the price movement of that security. This motivation differs significantly from those of more traditional investors or hedgers.
For example, consider the purchase of corn futures. A hedger may purchase these securities in order to offset any negative movements in the price of corn and thus stabilize his or her portfolio (these people might be corn growers or cereal companies, for instance). A speculator, however, may buy the very same security simply because he or she has reason to believe the position will increase in value. He or she simply bets on which way the market is going to go.
Why It Matters
Speculation can sometimes drive securities prices away from their intrinsic value, either becoming overpriced during a buying frenzy or becoming underpriced during a huge sell-off. Although speculators sometimes get a bad rap in the press for this reason, they are a crucial lubricant to the markets, particularly the commodities markets. Although they don't want to physically possess any of the commodities they're trading (that is, they don't really want a truckload of rice delivered to their door), their trading activity brings liquidity to the market, which in turn provides stability and efficiency to those markets.
It is important to note, however, that speculators are generally bigger risk takers than other investors. They are more likely than other investors to use leverage, and as such can suffer huge losses alongside huge gains.
Source: Investing Answers
speculate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of speculate
See the full definition for speculate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
speculate
verb
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Kids Definition of speculate
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speculate
verb
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Legal Definition of speculate
Note: A jury is not permitted to speculate on a matter about which insufficient evidence has been presented in reaching its verdict.
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