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 Berman speculates that Meta will next settle the school districts case, which stemmed from some 1,200 districts across the country accusing the Facebook parent and other social media companies of spreading intentionally addictive features. — Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 30 Aug. 2026 At the same time, Caillier speculates that the rugs are strong enough to stand on their own. — Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2026 Interestingly, sales of sunflower butter go up 18%; Instacart speculates that this happens because most schools have a nut-free policy. — Parents, 7 Aug. 2026 The team speculates that’s likely where the flies fall back on simpler reflexes. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculates

Verb

As the force gradually assumes responsibility for police patrols, Haitian police will be able to redeploy to support operations in Kenscoff, the international force said.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026
The problem is that the stock's valuation already assumes all of that keeps going, at a moment when the growth driver behind it (the AI-era power generation boom) is facing its first regulatory pushback.

— Tony Zhang, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of assumes

Verb

Logan Wright, the author of Broken China, guesses that growth is now running at no more than 1% — and may even be zero.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
The system consists of a predictive algorithm that guesses how a robot is broken, along with robotic manipulators that actually take the broken robot apart.

— Kohava Mendelsohn, IEEE Spectrum, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of guesses

Verb

His daughter Jordan, 43, says Mary hated being inside and a part of her thinks that, just maybe, Mary went for a walk to higher ground before the floods struck.

— Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal, president of Fischer Travel and a member of Four Seasons’ advisory board, thinks Airelles could be one of the biggest winners this season.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of thinks

Verb

The group presumes the deal would need approval from Chicago’s City Council as well.

— Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
The Hoodoo tradition presumes a belief in a supernatural or spirit world that can be called upon for assistance, often through charms and incantations.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of presumes

Verb

Switzerland imagines Highsmith as a recluse in the Alps, closely guarding a cache of weapons and secrets after a lifetime spent writing mysteries.

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
The Komlós conjecture imagines each person (or object) as an arrow of length 1 called a unit vector.

— Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of imagines

Verb

Many Spaniards lived or even committed atrocities in the Civil War, suffering a collective guilt, Ruiz Capillas surmises.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026
Evans surmises the fish that survived were in an area of the creek where less charred material and sediment were swept in.

— Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026

Definition of surmises

Verb

Eaton suspects Parton wouldn’t have issued instructions for copying her routine.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
As a result, Kaspersky suspects the ultimate goal was to use the infected head units to display ads and faking interactions with them to commit online ad fraud.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026