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Definition of speculate
speculated
;speculating
intransitive verb
1a : to meditate on or ponder a subject : reflectb : to review something idly or casually and often inconclusively
2 : to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations
transitive verb
1 : to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence : theorize
2 : to be curious or doubtful about : wonder speculates whether it will rain all vacation
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speculate was our Word of the Day on 05/22/2014. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of speculate in a Sentence
She could only speculate about her friend's motives.
He speculated as to whether she would come.
We don't know what happened—we can only speculate.
speculating on the stock market
Recent Examples of speculate from the Web
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Since the Inauguration, many outlets have speculated about the Ivanka's influence on her father's decision making in regards to climate change, working families and women's issues.
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According to MTV News, Metallica's drummer, Lars Ulrich, was also onstage, leading fans to speculate that the band might be in A Star Is Born, alongside Cooper and Lady Gaga.
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Some fans speculate this storyline will even involve the introduction of an ice dragon — a legendary creature in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (the books on which Thrones is based) that breathes cold rather than fire.
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Some commenters speculated that there are simply fewer images of William holding Charlotte, as Duchess Kate is most often seen holding their daughter (although, one user proved this theory wrong).
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The possibility of the team skipping the White House visit in the event of winning the NBA title has been speculated online for months, given the criticism of President Donald Trump from Curry and Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
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Tewelow said many people have speculated on possible motives in the killing.
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In recent years, many have begun to speculate about the future of the monarchy, given how few members of the royal family remain.
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Ten months into his tenure, however, General dela Rosa is still speculating that the murders by motorcycle-riding gunmen are drug dealers killing each other.
These 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.
Did You Know?
Speculate was adopted into English in the late 16th century from Latin speculatus, the past participle of the verb speculari, which means "to spy out" or "to examine." Speculari, in turn, derives from specula, meaning "lookout post," and ultimately from the Latin verb specere, "to look (at)." Other conspicuous descendants of specere are inspect and suspect. Some less obvious descendants are the words despise, species, specimen, and, as you may have speculated, conspicuous.
Origin and Etymology of speculate
Latin speculatus, past participle of speculari to spy out, examine, from specula lookout post, from specere to look, look at — more at spy
Synonym Discussion of speculate
Financial Definition of SPECULATE
speculate
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.
SPECULATE Defined for English Language Learners
speculate
playDefinition of speculate for English Language Learners
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: to think about something and make guesses about it : to form ideas or theories about something usually when there are many things not known about it
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: to invest money in ways that could produce a large profit but that also involve a lot of risk
SPECULATE Defined for Kids
speculate
playDefinition of speculate for Students
speculated
;speculating
1 : to think or wonder about something
2 : to come up with ideas or theories about something
3 : to engage in a risky but possibly very profitable business deal
Law Dictionary
speculate
playLegal Definition of speculate
speculated
speculating
intransitive verb
1 : to theorize on the basis of insufficient evidence Editor's note: A jury is not permitted to speculate on a matter about which insufficient evidence has been presented in reaching its verdict.
2 : to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations
transitive verb
: to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence
Learn More about speculate
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See words that rhyme with speculate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for speculate Spanish Central: Translation of speculate Nglish: Translation of speculate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of speculate for Arabic speakers
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