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
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
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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This lets architects and engineers directly compare air-conditioning setups and control strategies early on, using real numbers rather than guesses.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
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The post generated more than 300 guesses, some submitted purely in fun.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Too much of California’s policy assumes technological breakthroughs will simply appear on schedule, at an affordable cost, to meet the looming lofty goals.—
Suzette Valladares,
Oc Register,
15 Feb. 2026
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But this assumes the PLA’s claim is, of course, true.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 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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Meanwhile, White speculates that the Hong Kong funds also got pummeled by headwinds in the Yen-carry trade—which made their financing more expensive—and exposure to recent convulsions in the silver market.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Christine Wilkinson, research associate with the California Academy of Sciences, speculates the coyote may have come from a pack that lives in San Francisco’s Coit Tower area, which has very little green space.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This was partly out of deference to a president who thinks not of enemies but only of potential counterparties to be bargained with, bullied, swindled, or accommodated.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
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Mike Murphy, a Republican political consultant, thinks Pratt could get 19% to 21% of the vote, with a ceiling in the mid to high 20s.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Catholic Church presumes that war is a failure of politics.—
Gerard F. Powers,
The Conversation,
11 Feb. 2026
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The second reason is that progress narratives depend on an arc bending in a particular direction, which presumes the existence of a future end state.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Any law enforcement officer who suspects human trafficking of a minor would still be required to immediately report it.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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In the show, Palmer and Whitehall play Samira and Rob, new parents who move back to Rob’s hometown of Hinkley Hills, a beautiful suburb where Samira immediately suspects something is amiss.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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