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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The eruption wasn’t monitored with modern instrumentation, so scientists can only offer their best guesses as to what happened.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Wall Street analysts routinely put out their guesses for which dot belongs to which official.—
Steve Liesman,Matt Peterson,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Philippe Venet assumes de Givenchy’s position.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2026
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This math also assumes a 20% down payment.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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The first theory supposes that the Big Bang produced dense spots that didn’t collapse immediately.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Larson speculates that sports betting has become so popular.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
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If, Algeo speculates, the knife is still in the custody of the Philadelphia Police Department, it could be tested with modern-day forensic technology.—
Annalise Peterson,
NBC news,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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No one thinks about the miles of underground pipes, and pumping stations and filtration operations between the tap and the source.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
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Still, Andreessen thinks AI is a smoke screen for layoffs.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The message of terrorism speaks to anyone who believes that violence is a natural response to political differences, and who presumes that they may not be seen or heard otherwise.—
Juliette Kayyem,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The early investigation presumes that the victim had been a pedestrian.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The death looks like suicide, but Babak suspects murder.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Tom is like if Kinnaman’s Holder, from AMC’s adaptation of the Danish drama The Killing, were actually as wicked as everybody suspects him of being, and the actor is having a blast preening and sneering.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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