as in speculation
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1
as in assuming
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
though she does not speak with an accent, I would still guess that she is a foreigner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in estimating
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement
I would guess the road goes for about two miles before you have to take a left
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in thinking
to have as an opinion
I never would have guessed that she was capable of such a terrible thing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of guessing
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
By the afternoon, your confidence grows — no more second-guessing.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Even the smartest energy insiders on the planet are now doing a fair bit of guessing.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
There’s a new wrinkle in the ongoing guessing game of where and when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
No guessing, no buying random products because someone on Instagram told you to.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Like the northern lights, comet visibility is a big guessing game.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 23 Mar. 2026
That's a lot of hemming and hawing, a lot of second- and triple-guessing, and a bevy of rewatches to gauge the worthiness of being part of a historically significant canon.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
For both players, there was no second-guessing.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2026
That may have been in part to keep any adversaries (or lone wolves) guessing.
—Neil Flanagan, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
That leaves pilots scanning readings on the dashboard or guessing which side has lost thrust — all as the plane may be losing altitude.
—James Glanz, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Remember when the Nuggets kept everyone guessing at the end of the regular season by sitting players against the Thunder and the Spurs?
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
However, plenty of people show no signs at all, which is why blood testing matters more than guessing.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
Frey keeps hitters guessing because of his rare ability to throw five different pitches for strikes.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Forty-eight hours before Pearlman was guessing the name of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s unborn daughter, back on Hollywood Boulevard, Kimmel downshifted from Donald to Melania.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
Her every moment keeps the audience guessing.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
This saves a frustrating guessing game during reinstallation — especially in homes where windows look similar but vary slightly in size.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 20 Apr. 2026
By the afternoon, your confidence grows — no more second-guessing.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Even the smartest energy insiders on the planet are now doing a fair bit of guessing.
—Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026
There’s a new wrinkle in the ongoing guessing game of where and when Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting married.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2026
No guessing, no buying random products because someone on Instagram told you to.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026
Like the northern lights, comet visibility is a big guessing game.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 23 Mar. 2026
That's a lot of hemming and hawing, a lot of second- and triple-guessing, and a bevy of rewatches to gauge the worthiness of being part of a historically significant canon.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
For both players, there was no second-guessing.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 Feb. 2026
Verb
Leave curb-appeal gawkers guessing with a DIY trash bin enclosure with a planter top.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 May 2026
That may have been in part to keep any adversaries (or lone wolves) guessing.
—Neil Flanagan, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
That leaves pilots scanning readings on the dashboard or guessing which side has lost thrust — all as the plane may be losing altitude.
—James Glanz, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Remember when the Nuggets kept everyone guessing at the end of the regular season by sitting players against the Thunder and the Spurs?
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 May 2026
However, plenty of people show no signs at all, which is why blood testing matters more than guessing.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
Frey keeps hitters guessing because of his rare ability to throw five different pitches for strikes.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Forty-eight hours before Pearlman was guessing the name of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s unborn daughter, back on Hollywood Boulevard, Kimmel downshifted from Donald to Melania.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 27 Apr. 2026
Her every moment keeps the audience guessing.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guessing
Noun
-
And supporters are left to fill the silence with speculation, chants and, now, airborne protest banners.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
A lot of reality programming feels like a delivery system for viewer speculation and judgment, often to tremendous entertainment value.—
Todd Gilchrist,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
Verb
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With a razor-thin majority, the Speaker can afford to lose only two GOP votes on any party-line bill, assuming that all members are present and Democrats are united in opposition.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Providers also can fall victim to inadvertent bias, assuming a young, otherwise healthy patient must be dealing with something other than shingles.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The park is home to around 1,000 black bears and grizzlies, with park officials estimating that about 300 grizzly bears were inhabiting the area in 2023.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The scientists were inspired by Bayesian experimental design, in which researchers interpret decision-making by estimating the likelihoods of events given prior assumptions.—
Peter Hall,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
As the Moon moves into Capricorn and your 5th House of Creativity, your focus shifts toward making something real instead of just thinking about it.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
5 May 2026
-
Hoagland told me to stop thinking.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
But with the arrival of the next course, bread and butter, I was forced to revise my theory.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
10 May 2026
-
The landfill theory made some birding enthusiasts uneasy and prompted some authorities, locals and others to defend Ushuaia, a city of nearly 85,000 that draws tourists to its Antarctic cruise ships and abundant, watchworthy bird population.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Invitees were hoping and suspecting McCartney might pop in for a wave or a comment before or after the listening session.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Surely seventh graders are capable of understanding that people need to get along with one another, rather than living in a constant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm.—
Judith Martin,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Working with the Calling All Dreamers advisors, Christine Wonderson is figuring how to break the business down into more achievable chunks, rather than trying to do everything at once.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen will need to step up, with Alex Vesia also figuring to factor into Roberts’ late-inning plans.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Christian Bojorquez argued in his closing statements to the jury that Jones went into the encounter believing that Daniel Elena-Lopez, who had already assaulted several people inside the Burlington coat store, was carrying a firearm.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
There’s something deeply American about the constant push between frustration and hope, between asking what the hell is going on and still believing there's something worth fighting for.—
Time,
Time,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Guessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guessing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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