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
Evans surmises the fish that survived were in an area of the creek where less charred material and sediment were swept in. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 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
  • Stale, incomplete or blocked data leaves AI filling gaps with guesses that still sound certain.
    Vaidotas Juknys, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • What counts the most will be the moves of the Big Player, guesses about those moves, and guesses about those guesses.
    Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The board last week passed a budget plan that assumes the $150 million will be coming and relies upon it, despite no promise from Springfield that it can be covered.
    Lauren Victory, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • The Defense Department said in its estimate the cost assumes there will be an average of 2,500 National Guard members in Washington through January 2029.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • But that view wrongly supposes that Abundance was meant to be its own electoral lane.
    Ryder Kessler, New York Daily News, 26 July 2026
  • Of course, this pre-supposes that Salah looks to leave Europe this summer as a free agent.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026
Verb
  • The team speculates that’s likely where the flies fall back on simpler reflexes.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Perhaps the closest analogue, Köhler speculates, are wellness retreats.
    Veronique Greenwood, Time, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • The second time, Ghaida thinks the Israelis may have made a mistake.
    Ava Bambuck, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The other side thinks that landing an elite star that was recently the Best Player at the World Cup is a no brainer, with the chance to twist the knife into Real Madrid also too good to pass up.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Businesses need to make investments in automated containment, behavior-centric detection, and ongoing validation that presumes attackers will act independently.
    Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
  • One presumes that this parent is also constantly looking at her phone.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • Lamming suspects that regular exercise, perhaps by using protein to build strong healthy muscles, helps protect people like athletes from the negative health effects associated with a protein-rich diet.
    Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Anyone who suspects human trafficking can contact Florida’s trafficking hotline at 1-855-FLA-SAFE.
    Eric Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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