1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

second-guesses

verb

present tense third-person singular of second-guess
1
as in outmaneuvers

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in speculates (about)

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-guesses
  1. outmaneuvers
  2. analyzes
  3. balks
  4. reasons
  5. outsmarts
  6. believes
  7. thwarts
  8. concludes
Verb
  • As a result, the collapse of Stockmann’s crusade feels rushed—especially in the pivotal town-meeting scene, in which his brother, the mayor, outmaneuvers him and fellow-citizens shout him down.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Definition of outmaneuvers
Verb
  • Each morning, Apple Watch analyzes your recent activity, sleep and vital signs.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Ask Folta serves as a strategic partner and analyzes data and delivers cross-platform recommendations that are aligned with inventory levels and advertising focuses.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of analyzes
Verb
  • But when even dim-witted Chad also balks at the plan, Nora is forced to blackmail him into participating.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • That number certainly feels like something worth panicking over—the mind balks at all the zeros.
    — Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of balks
Verb
  • The consultant reasons by filling a notebook with calculations, then hands you a one-sentence answer, and keeps the notebook.
    — Adam Fish, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • How the Fed reasons its way to agreements is as important as the agreements.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2026
Definition of reasons
Verb
  • Seth Rollins outsmarts Bron Breakker The rivalry between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker has not slowed down one bit.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Definition of outsmarts
Verb
  • Roach believes the perfect lead hook comes down to the timing.
    — Chris McKenna, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • With a growing portion of the population born after the attacks, Spade believes preserving the individual stories has become more urgent.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of believes
Verb
  • Heath pilots a fighter jet, deploys bombs in foreign countries, and thwarts cyberattacks, all after remarkably cursory and casual conversations with a government official.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Another tactic is treating ship hulls with special paint that thwarts unwanted hitchhikers from latching on.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of thwarts
Verb
  • But he’s intrigued enough to take the file from Emma anyway and quickly concludes, along with River, that Loy did not break his own arm and then barbecue himself making marshmallows.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The move comes at the start of the Fed's two-day policy meeting, with markets pricing in higher chances of a quarter-point rate hike when the meeting concludes Wednesday after August inflation remained well above the central bank's 2% target.
    — Lee Ying Shan,Sean Conlon, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of concludes
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.

Browse Nearby Words

second-guessed
second-guesses
second-guessing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Second-guesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-guesses. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All