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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Recent Examples of speculates
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
But Mehl speculates that modern information technologies have played a large role.
—Markham Heid, Time, 28 Apr. 2026
As for what’s next, Puck speculates that another season 1 writer will be elevated to showrunner if the show is renewed.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
Portnoy also speculates that the backlash for the Unwell Winter Games and Sofia Franklyn’s upcoming memoir is adding fuel to the Cooper fire.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
Larson speculates that sports betting has become so popular.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
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
But Mehl speculates that modern information technologies have played a large role.
—Markham Heid, Time, 28 Apr. 2026
As for what’s next, Puck speculates that another season 1 writer will be elevated to showrunner if the show is renewed.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
Portnoy also speculates that the backlash for the Unwell Winter Games and Sofia Franklyn’s upcoming memoir is adding fuel to the Cooper fire.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
Larson speculates that sports betting has become so popular.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculates
Verb
-
Montano-Campos acknowledged the study doesn’t take into account discontinuation of GLP-1 use for financial reasons, since the simulation assumes lifetime access to the drug on a consistent basis.—
Mia Osmonbekov,
Fortune,
14 June 2026
-
The phrase assumes that fatness belongs firmly in the past, yet the very need for such a term suggests otherwise.—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
This adds another layer of protection if someone steals or guesses your password.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
-
With subjects who haven’t left journals or letters, Fehrman guesses their state of mind by making inferences—some credible, others less so.—
Caleb Crain,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
But a duty, one supposes, of being a professional athlete is understanding that your team is your workplace.—
Armando Salguero,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
Leo’s fine, one supposes, as evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, but the role is not a natural fit for him.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The surest sign of improving standards in Ghana and other African countries, Hughton thinks, will be when diaspora players born elsewhere in the world opt to follow their roots.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
But none have watch parties for the games, and Domingo thinks his regular clientele is avoiding the area.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
The guidance presumes that the current tariff rates on all countries will stay in place for the remainder of 2025 and beyond.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
18 Nov. 2025
-
While the legal system presumes innocence until proven guilty, the NBA has the latitude to suspend individuals based solely on the indictment—a move Epner believes has already occurred.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Winter’s vocal presence imagines a fearless indie oddball like Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus going for the full prattling gusto of the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger; the band tussles and sways exhilaratingly underfoot.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
-
DeKnight pitched Tarabay on playing Ashur once more in a new revisionist history series that imagines what would have happened had Ashur lived.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
Upon entering the house, Donnie surmises there is an orgy-type party going on.—
Demetrius Patterson,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Stuart suspects higher oil prices will need to rise quickly to incentivize further emergency oil releases and to encourage the world to consume less.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Yang suspects that the same reactions that take place in a combustion engine could be occurring naturally within certain mini-Neptunes, producing PAHS that amalgamate as clouds of soot that then rise higher into the atmosphere, perhaps driven upwards by thermal convection currents.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speculates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculates. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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