surmises 1 of 2

plural of surmise
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

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surmises

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of surmise

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of surmises
Noun
Nothing in your life has dissuaded you from these early surmises. — Padgett Powell, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Verb
Peter Cho, chief marketing officer of the Sleep Spa, surmises that their mattresses first became a status symbol in 1952, when the company became the official purveyor to the royal court by King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden. — Jaklin Romine oct. 15, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Bastian’s wife surmises that Johann must be a relative, and he is invited to eat. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Many Spaniards lived or even committed atrocities in the Civil War, suffering a collective guilt, Ruiz Capillas surmises. — John Hopewell, Variety, 12 Aug. 2026 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
  • Today’s puzzle took our testers an average of 5 guesses out of 6, or moderately challenging.
    — New York Times Games, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Getting a word with a small number of guesses is a source of pride for players.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This implicit passivity assumes that technology, rather than people, will determine AI’s impact on work.
    — Byron Auguste, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In the novel, likewise, the narrator assumes an almost Homeric guise, comparing current harbor gossip to chatter from the Phoenician, Cretan, Greek, and Roman eras.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Hence, any thought experiment that presupposes an AGI often supposes an ASI.
    — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Rock* supposes there’s a fork in the road where the Beatles take us one way and the Velvet Underground pull us somewhere else entirely.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Her exit comes as the industry speculates wildly about the fate of other division leaders across both companies.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The Instagram caption speculates the albino shark was somewhere between eight and nine feet long.
    — David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • And yet Tatham thinks there are lessons to be learned from the interactive world, as long as designers focus on real-world play.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Oil prices are just one headwind that Tudor Jones thinks the equity market needs to handle at the moment.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Homeownership has long been a marker of the American Dream, but this dream presumes autonomy, voice and equitable treatment.
    — Stephanie A. Dhuman, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • But that logic presumes every single aspect of both studios’ production pipelines will continue to operate normally once Paramount and WBD become one.
    — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Anthropic’s work even shows that internal signals can reveal when a model suspects it’s being tested, detects manipulation or is pursuing a hidden objective.
    — Nicola Sfondrini, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Laurel suspects that maybe some of the books in her library have been banned, but she’s given up trying to find out.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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