SPECULATES Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

speculates

verb

present tense third-person singular of speculate

as in assumes

to form an opinion from little or no evidence I speculate that someone has been using this cabin as a trysting place

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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 speculates Perhaps the closest analogue, Köhler speculates, are wellness retreats. — Veronique Greenwood, Time, 9 July 2026 In the 2021 edition of the novel published by Ediciones Uniandes, Carolina Alzate speculates that this could be referring to a town near Natagaima, currently in Tolima. — Literary Hub, 1 July 2026 Sandoval then speculates that Victoria, who was sitting in a nearby chair, was recording the dispute. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 Then there’s the design of work question, Sen speculates. — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 The feds did not specify the exact reason for the order, but Anthropic speculates that the directive may be related to a potential jailbreaking method for Fable 5. — Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 13 June 2026 Since glaciers didn’t flow right into Salisbury, the study speculates the stone, thought to have served as an altar, was deposited hundreds of miles east, beneath what is now the North Sea. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 4 June 2026 O’Farrell speculates, reasonably, that Hamnet may have been a victim of bubonic plague, and her book centers on the family’s grief in the aftermath of his death. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 The purpose of manganese in the region below the aculeus, the team speculates, is probably to improve the flexibility and absorption of vibrations. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculates

Verb

Every layer of the stack assumes shopping is scarce and expensive.

— Abhinav Sinha, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
The report assumes that similar gangs are operating on the same scale everywhere—even in places where no such activity has ever surfaced.

— Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026

Definition of assumes

Verb

When a student misses twice, guesses rapidly, or reveals a misconception, StarSpark can interrupt the assignment, teach the relevant concept, provide additional practice, and then return the student to the original question.

— Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
When a player guesses a word, the squares change color to provide feedback.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 17 June 2026

Definition of guesses

Verb

With demand exceeding supply, Pajjuri thinks the company can prioritize higher-value server CPUs, improving product mix while also gaining more pricing power because customers have fewer options.

— Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 23 July 2026
One way midfielder Zorhan Bassong thinks Sporting can avoid those long spells of getting lost in the game is through repetition of situations during training — almost for the sake of repetition.

— Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026

Definition of thinks

Verb

As for why only a small fraction of cells become cannibalistic, Larson suspects that there may be an evolutionary balance point based on some tradeoffs and constraints.

— Jay Kakade July 23, Refractor, 23 July 2026
Given the unusual circumstances, Wells’ family suspects something nefarious could have happened to him and been covered up.

— Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026