as in deduction
an opinion arrived at through a process of reasoning that seems like a reasonable inference, but in this case it happens to be incorrect

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inference Bloomberg News has previously reported that OpenAI and Broadcom were working on an inference chip design, intended to run or operate artificial intelligence services after they had been trained. Bloomberg, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025 The appellate court had held that the INS could not rely on these immigration sweeps but, rather, needed to articulate objective facts and rational inferences to support a reasonable suspicion that each person detained is undocumented. Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025 This intent inference—what the program is trying to do, what the program is supposed to do, and the deviation between the two—is what helps in a lot of software engineering tasks. IEEE Spectrum, 26 Aug. 2025 This is another inference, but all evidence points to the fact that a lot of these organisms just don’t experience enough energy at a rate fast enough to ever appreciably undergo cell division. Laura Poppick, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for inference
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inference
Noun
  • McGhee’s plan for a 2% purchasing deduction followed his effort to rally fellow commissioners to hold a special meeting to claw back a $21 million county subsidy of the 2026 World Cup games in order to replenish the charity dollars Levine Cava dropped from her budget proposal.
    Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Since the transaction is not structured as a partnership or LLC for tax purposes, the investors may not be entitled to any deduction for their investment, since there is no tax code provision that would permit it.
    Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • That’s the conclusion of Megan McArdle, an oft-Trump-critic, libertarian-minded Washington Post columnist.
    David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Below is a multi-factor evaluation that offers a more in-depth understanding of our conclusions.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio made that determination earlier this year, citing Khalil's advocacy.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
  • What’s proven to work well in practice in that local climate zone (search results provide enough clarification for one to swiftly make that determination) is what’s needed.
    Richard Olsen, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inference.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inference. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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