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as in to speculate (about)
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Recent Examples of second-guess
Frontline managers who feel obligated to second-guess strategy.
—
Brendan Keegan, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2026
The challenge for prosecutors Prosecutors generally face an uphill battle when charging police officers, as juries tend to be reluctant to second-guess officers acting in the heat of the moment, the legal experts said.
—Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
And Walia noticed that even the sharpest business minds will second-guess themselves while working at McKinsey.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
However, others might second-guess themselves, replay conversations or outsource decisions to everyone around them.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for second-guess
Brendan Keegan, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2026
The challenge for prosecutors Prosecutors generally face an uphill battle when charging police officers, as juries tend to be reluctant to second-guess officers acting in the heat of the moment, the legal experts said.
—Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
And Walia noticed that even the sharpest business minds will second-guess themselves while working at McKinsey.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2026
However, others might second-guess themselves, replay conversations or outsource decisions to everyone around them.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for second-guess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-guess
Verb
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No one knows for sure, and older investors are often better served by accepting that uncertainty rather than trying to outguess it.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
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With the right guardrails in place, investors don't have to outguess the market.—
Chris Stevens,
Nashville Tennessean,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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TikToks promising secret loopholes, Reddit threads dissecting deductions and content creators insisting ways to outsmart the IRS.—
Miriam Fauzia,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Furthermore, Microsoft executives threw in their lot with the mercurial Altman, who doesn’t care at all about them and seems to outsmart them at every turn.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Engineers analyze the information to confirm that the missile system performs exactly as expected.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Mar. 2026
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While there is little agreement about the addresses, there is broader agreement for a separate section of Senate Bill 325 that would create a new task force that would analyze how to handle large requests for information by using artificial intelligence.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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As their bold production takes shape, a rival white theatre mounts its own Richard III just blocks away, threatening to undermine, overshadow, and outmaneuver them.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Mar. 2026
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Throughout the novels, characters tell stories to persuade, intimidate, and outmaneuver each other.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a republican federation, the Founders reasoned, only the people’s representatives should be able to commit the country to war.—
William J Watkins Jr,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
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Advertisement In time, robots will be able to reason, adapt, and execute in real time without needing a constant cloud connection.—
Eric Schmidt,
Time,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Probst, who grew up in the Seattle area and started his career here, is synonymous with the show that’s outlasted (and outwitted, and outplayed) any TV counterpart.—
Paige Cornwell,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
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Millions watched this new kind of reality TV competition show in the summer of 2000 to see players try to outwit, outplay and outlast each other while at the same time trying to survive.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
jsonline.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Indigenous Māori people once believed the boulders were gourds that washed ashore from an ancient canoe wreck, but the science behind it is just as interesting as the legend.—
Madeline Bilis,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
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Asbille's character reportedly died of cancer, which is believed to be connected to a toxic waste dump located near a mine on the Broken Rock Reservation.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Right was thwarted by the pandemic).—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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He was thwarted by Sam two years ago, and Atterton has been desperate for revenge ever since, and has spent his time behind bars planning Sam’s downfall.—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Second-guess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-guess. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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