as in guessing
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 speculating
Again, the value lies in confirming timelines, not speculating motives.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Fans of the show and the Julia Quinn novel series it’s based on are already speculating about who will star in Bridgerton Season 5.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 30 Jan. 2026
The tickets sold out quickly and, soon after, fans began speculating that guest would be none other than Bruce Springsteen.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Traders are increasingly speculating that Japan and the US may have taken coordinated action to support the yen.
—Erica Yokoyama, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Gold investors are also tracking economic concerns in Japan, with traders speculating whether Tokyo would intervene in the currency market the support the yen.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
The mayor said the incident remains under active investigation and the city is not speculating on the circumstances surrounding the crash.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Red all over It’s been a week of smiles since last Saturday, but Adam Crafton’s exclusive about United’s multi-million pound TV deal has brought a lot of fun too, with the lads on Thursday’s pod speculating about which actors could play which club figures in the drama series.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Longer shot winners reduces the number of winning tickets and increases the payout for those speculating correctly.
—Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Fans of the show and the Julia Quinn novel series it’s based on are already speculating about who will star in Bridgerton Season 5.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 30 Jan. 2026
The tickets sold out quickly and, soon after, fans began speculating that guest would be none other than Bruce Springsteen.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 30 Jan. 2026
Traders are increasingly speculating that Japan and the US may have taken coordinated action to support the yen.
—Erica Yokoyama, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Gold investors are also tracking economic concerns in Japan, with traders speculating whether Tokyo would intervene in the currency market the support the yen.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 26 Jan. 2026
The mayor said the incident remains under active investigation and the city is not speculating on the circumstances surrounding the crash.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026
Red all over It’s been a week of smiles since last Saturday, but Adam Crafton’s exclusive about United’s multi-million pound TV deal has brought a lot of fun too, with the lads on Thursday’s pod speculating about which actors could play which club figures in the drama series.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Longer shot winners reduces the number of winning tickets and increases the payout for those speculating correctly.
—Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculating
Verb
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Part of the fun of The Masked Singer is its interactive element, with the audience provided just enough hints (but not too many) to keep us guessing.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Feb. 2026
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Without the national testing standard that the governors’ petition calls for, we are left guessing at the health impacts on our children and ourselves.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But that is what happened on Monday, as 18-year-old James Wilson was thrust into the spotlight, assuming an unlikely leading role on transfer deadline day.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Both Iger and his predecessor, Michael Eisner, began their careers in network television and had extensive Hollywood connections before assuming the CEO perch.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Shortly after, a family member of Mitchell's reached out to police, suspecting Immanuel was actually Mitchell.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Jan. 2026
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By episode five, Michael had moved on from suspecting Yam Yam to suspecting Colton, who was a ringleader in the previous episode’s banishment of Big Brother fan favorite Tiffany Mitchell.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Lewis acknowledged after a 3-9 finish in 2024 that thinking about the collective needs to be emphasized more than ever in this age of transfer portal comings and goings.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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The Glasgow smile could have been used to send a message to anybody who was thinking of ratting them out.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculating. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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