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
Valerie Krystine Muniz, who identified herself on social media as Addi’s aunt and the sister of her father, urged people to stop speculating as the family grieves.
—
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
As much as the cap growth era has taken some of the sting out of targeting teams with distressed assets as a means of both improving your NHL lineup while simultaneously adding future value, there’s still utility to speculating in struggling veteran players on inefficient or inconvenient contracts.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
With the penultimate hour now streaming, only one episode remains, and, without any renewal news to say otherwise, fans are speculating this could be the end of the saga from creator Meaghan Oppenheimer.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, some of those astronomers began speculating that, like our planet and its inhabitants, the very stars were subject to change, forming and growing and eventually dying.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Podcasters who get to spend at least five more months speculating about Antetokounmpo trades that might never happen.
—Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 5 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
Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
As much as the cap growth era has taken some of the sting out of targeting teams with distressed assets as a means of both improving your NHL lineup while simultaneously adding future value, there’s still utility to speculating in struggling veteran players on inefficient or inconvenient contracts.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
With the penultimate hour now streaming, only one episode remains, and, without any renewal news to say otherwise, fans are speculating this could be the end of the saga from creator Meaghan Oppenheimer.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, some of those astronomers began speculating that, like our planet and its inhabitants, the very stars were subject to change, forming and growing and eventually dying.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Podcasters who get to spend at least five more months speculating about Antetokounmpo trades that might never happen.
—Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 5 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculating
Verb
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Hosted by John Bishop, the 1% Club-esque show is inspired by scientist Francis Galton’s discovery from more than a century ago that crowds are better at guessing than individuals.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
18 Feb. 2026
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There is a narrative there… Here’s how the panelists told the story at the Grammy Museum, obviously with more of a focus on what was happening in Brother Studio, and secondary guessing at what was happening in Brian’s not always permeable head.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That will add another two years to the litigation battle before any trials could even start, and that is assuming the energy companies lose.—
Mark Curriden,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
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The cap number can be held in a moderate range well beyond 2027, but assuming Nix has a healthy and productive 2026 season, Denver’s days with a quarterback on a rookie deal are numbered.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
11 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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Still, thinking about how great the makeup artist made my skin look has inspired me to keep trying.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Feb. 2026
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Leave with your interviewer being a fan of yours and thinking of you when the right position comes along.—
Phil Blair,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Speculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculating. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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