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as in to speculate (about)
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of second-guess
Other people always will second-guess you.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
People are starting to second-guess themselves, and trust is eroding in ways that are hard to pinpoint.
—Harvard Business Review, 4 Feb. 2026
Nevils explains in her book how this message was jarringly confusing and led her to second-guess what had happened, ultimately leading her back to the belief that the nature of the encounter was nothing alarming.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
Frontline managers who feel obligated to second-guess strategy.
—Brendan Keegan, Rolling Stone, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for second-guess
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
People are starting to second-guess themselves, and trust is eroding in ways that are hard to pinpoint.
—Harvard Business Review, 4 Feb. 2026
Nevils explains in her book how this message was jarringly confusing and led her to second-guess what had happened, ultimately leading her back to the belief that the nature of the encounter was nothing alarming.
—Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 29 Jan. 2026
Frontline managers who feel obligated to second-guess strategy.
—Brendan Keegan, Rolling Stone, 27 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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Predicting mosquito behavior is a first step toward outsmarting them.—
David Hu,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
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He gets outsmarted by Forst and trapped in a symbiotic relationship where has to work for the world’s worst man to see his discovery come to fruition.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The researchers spent almost two years analyzing the drone footage, applying machine learning in combination with good, old-fashioned field biology.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
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The watches underwent 25 days of scrutiny there, analyzed via a new acoustic testing method that recorded every sound emitting from the timepiece to track irregularities, temperature sensitivities, and more in the name of all things precision.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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These officers can outrun you, outmaneuver you through dense downtown traffic and scout out any funny business in large crowds.—
Caroline Silva,
AJC.com,
27 Mar. 2026
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Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary, was labeled as a terrorist and this freedom fighter who’s characterized as this elusive fighter, this person that could outmaneuver American forces.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Like Sherlock Holmes or Benoit Blanc, Grace relies on reasoning to uncover the truth — only, in his case, billions of lives depend on his deductions.—
Tim Brinkhof,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
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The people on whom the planter depended to make his plantation run, Amador probably reasoned, were the same people who were best qualified and most motivated to annihilate it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Rams, seeded 11th, caused an average of 22 turnovers per game with its full-court trapping defense and outwitted everyone in their run from First Four to Final Four.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Two adults and three children were said to be in serious condition, while three other adults were believed to be in fair condition after they were all taken to nearby hospitals, firefighters said.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Easter Sunday celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Christians believe occurred three days after his crucifixion, according to the Bible.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The failure to thwart the 2001 terrorist attacks drove the federal government to take over airport security from private companies and create the Transportation Security Administration.—
Kelly Yamanouchi,
AJC.com,
25 Mar. 2026
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Both remind me of Ray’s leads, who sense that they’re being thwarted or not meeting expectations, but seem unable or unwilling to resolve anything.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Second-guess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-guess. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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