as in guesses
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence
my surmise is that the couple's "good news" is the announcement that they are going to have a baby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in assumes
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
we surmised that she had purchased the apple pie since there was a bakery box on the kitchen counter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surmises
Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Cohen surmises that the home was the first on the block.
—Culture Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2026
Morgan correctly surmises that a misdelivered piece of mail was a move by the Game Master and not just a fuckup by the postal service.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
In the study, Ned correctly surmises that Colum riled Dougal up into beating Malcolm so that Colum could be seen as the cooler head/better leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Upon entering the house, Donnie surmises there is an orgy-type party going on.
—Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
Cohen surmises that the home was the first on the block.
—Culture Critic, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2026
Morgan correctly surmises that a misdelivered piece of mail was a move by the Game Master and not just a fuckup by the postal service.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
In the study, Ned correctly surmises that Colum riled Dougal up into beating Malcolm so that Colum could be seen as the cooler head/better leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmises
Noun
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Use these clues to narrow down your guesses.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
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Fans take their own stabs pro bono, posting to Reddit their predictions for the draft’s first round, or their bespoke guesses for all two hundred and fifty-seven picks.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Ours is a pay-as-you-go system, and the IRS assumes that your income is received evenly throughout the year, says Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting.—
Liz Weston,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
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As Bay Area News Group has reported, the county’s plan heavily relies on drawing down county cash reserves and assumes the recovery of millions in vehicle licensing revenues.—
Mercury News Editorial Board,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Farrell supposes that no high school baseball team in the nation has traveled as much as Orange Lutheran has.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
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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
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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
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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
Verb
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But Mack, who now works for the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority in Orlando, thinks the higher assault rate in Charlotte has to do with sparse driver support from management.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
2 June 2026
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Robinson agreed with Edmonds’ perspective and also thinks that chemistry could be the key to another successful season.—
Steven Johnson
June 2,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Verb
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My greatest wish is that this ruling sets a precedent for the Treasury and serves the thousands of ordinary citizens who are abused and crushed every day by a system that presumes their guilt and forces them to prove their innocence at the cost of economic and emotional ruin.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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This model presumes the P/E ratio remains unchanged, indicating that the stock’s path may closely align with earnings performance, provided the broader market sustains the present multiple.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Surviving suspects Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin face murder charges in the killings that prosecutors argue was a gun battle between gang rivals.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2026
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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
“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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