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
  • In our example of the pond, simply comparing the number of possibilities assumes that each stone emits a wave independently.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • For any executive whose roadmap assumes compute capacity coming online on schedule, that is now a line item.
    — Zev Laine, Forbes.com, 20 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
  • The Newsom administration is coming under fire for paying $180 million to a private investment firm that speculates on water in exchange for a relatively small amount of additional water for Sacramento River salmon.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Her exit comes as the industry speculates wildly about the fate of other division leaders across both companies.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Although the mattress developed some minor misshaping after a month of heavy use, Moon still thinks it’s packed with value.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Elon Musk thinks future economies could measure wealth using the laws of physics instead of dollars.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The decree, which must be converted to law by parliament within 60 days, also automatically presumes that anyone over age 14 is capable of understanding their own actions, unless proven otherwise.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Kaula suspects a few of his colleagues were trapped in the basement.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • McDowell suspects the engine fired slightly harder or longer than intended.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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