surmises 1 of 2

Definition of surmisesnext
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
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
  • Recent deals in the shaky apartment market for Oakland might help shove property values lower in the coming weeks as the Alameda County Assessor’s Office finalizes its latest guesses for property values in its jurisdiction.
    George Avalos, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Rookies Dëmin, Wolf, Saraf, Nolan Traoré and Drake Powell have all played meaningful minutes and started games, and the organization has been able to leave the season with real notes on all five rather than guesses.
    C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Chilli, who assumes that her daughter wants to play out a happier ending, announces that the bird has survived.
    Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026
  • That assumes, of course, that Moreno opts to sell.
    Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • The first theory supposes that the Big Bang produced dense spots that didn’t collapse immediately.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Portnoy also speculates that the backlash for the Unwell Winter Games and Sofia Franklyn’s upcoming memoir is adding fuel to the Cooper fire.
    Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
  • The octopuses can safely stand still during their hour-long mating process because, Villar speculates, both male and female can be hidden in their respective rocky hideouts.
    Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Lynch thinks the lack of star power will force more trades during the draft.
    Vic Tafur, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Berkus shared of Poppy's wise words on how the world thinks a girl should be.
    Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Whitcomb notes the defense narrative that the attacks took place in less than five, inconsistent with the hours Turvey suspects the crime scene cleanup would have taken.
    Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Miss Manners suspects that you will not be forever ostracized, or subject to any other repercussions.
    Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 20 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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