speculator

noun

spec·​u·​la·​tor ˈspe-kyə-ˌlā-tər How to pronounce speculator (audio)
plural speculators
: someone who speculates: such as
a
: a person who thinks or guesses especially in an idle or casual way about something that is unknown or uncertain
I sat Friday night in the dining room in front of my laptop, the TV in the next room flitting among experts and speculators about what happened in Paris …Scott Martelle
"… All that we ought to ask, therefore, is, that the witnesses of our conduct, and the speculators on our motives, should be capable of taking the highest view which the circumstances of the case may admit. …"Nathaniel Hawthorne
b
: a person who makes a relatively risky investment in something (such as stocks or real estate) in the hope of making a large short-term profit from market fluctuations
futures/currency speculators
By the late 1870s Edward Pray was living in New York City, still interested in mining but instead now as a speculator in mining stocks.Willa Kane
Over the years, many houses have been bought by speculators or real estate companies and rented out.Margaret Gillerman

Examples of speculator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The turbulence has turned many people into reluctant speculators, their lives ruled by uncertainty and rumors. Nada Rashwan, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Excessive call option buying is indicative of speculators running amok. Moneyshow, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Traditionally, Egyptians have bought gold jewelry as a long-term saving strategy, but speculators have now turned to coins and ingots to try to turn a quick profit, said Saeed Imbaby, the founder of iSagha, a gold trading platform. Nada Rashwan, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Uncertainty then spiked with the multifaceted crisis of 1992, when corruption scandals upended politics, currency speculators destabilized the lira, and the sustainability of the government’s finances came into doubt. Barry Eichengreen, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 While water holders are inching closer to being the modern equivalent of the Dutch tulip, with speculators driving up prices, the main use of the cup remains holding water. James Powel, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 The landmark case, which involved a fine imposed on a hedge fund speculator, questioned whether in-house legal proceedings conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission violated his right to a jury trial in civil lawsuits. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 5 Jan. 2024 And celebrity speculators are making splashy investments. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 17 Dec. 2023 In one home lived speculators willing to manage tenants—and to evict them. Jonathan Lethem, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023

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

speculate + -or entry 1; in earlier sense "observer, lookout," borrowed from Latin speculātor "scout, spy, sentinel," from speculārī "to keep a close watch on, spy out, watch for" + -tor, agent suffix — more at speculate

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of speculator was in 1555

Dictionary Entries Near speculator

Cite this Entry

“Speculator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speculator. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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