: a thought or idea based on scanty evidence : conjecture
surmised; surmising
Synonyms
Examples of surmise in a Sentence
Noun
my surmise is that the couple's “good news” is the announcement that they are going to have a baby
Verb
We can only surmise what happened.
He must have surmised that I was not interested.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
But watching it last night, I was struck with a wild surmise about the characters’ potential origin.
—Vulture, 22 Dec. 2023
Marc Kamionkowski, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
Trump has surmised that the attempts may be linked to Iran, claims that have not been verified by authorities.
—Morgan Phillips, Fox News, 14 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surmise 
Noun
Like the extended music video surmises, Lopez’s search for love in all forms is born out of not feeling loved enough as a child.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024
But watching it last night, I was struck with a wild surmise about the characters’ potential origin.
—Vulture, 22 Dec. 2023
Verb
The alternative, then, is to surmise that there may be something missing in our understanding of the early universe that leads to a smaller sound horizon.
—Marc Kamionkowski, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
Trump has surmised that the attempts may be linked to Iran, claims that have not been verified by authorities.
—Morgan Phillips, Fox News, 14 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surmise
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'surmise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Surmise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/surmise. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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surmise
2 of 2 noun
sur·mise
sər-ˈmīz 
ˈsər-ˌmīz
: a thought or idea based on little evidence : conjecture
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