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
  • Simple words with a sibling or housemate work better than guesses.
    Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 10 July 2026
  • Without high-quality data to support them, these decisions run the risk of becoming mere guesses.
    John Kubale, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • Upon approval, the new lender pays off your existing loan and then assumes the remaining balance.
    Becca Stanek, TheWeek, 8 July 2026
  • One person, faced with a partner’s short reply, assumes fatigue or distraction.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • This is not true, unless, Miss Manners supposes, your definition of formality begins and ends with having to wear shoes.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 17 June 2026
  • Farrell supposes that no high school baseball team in the nation has traveled as much as Orange Lutheran has.
    Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
Verb
  • In the 2021 edition of the novel published by Ediciones Uniandes, Carolina Alzate speculates that this could be referring to a town near Natagaima, currently in Tolima.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 July 2026
  • Sandoval then speculates that Victoria, who was sitting in a nearby chair, was recording the dispute.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • But Smith thinks that the export control used against Anthropic has been misread as an effort to cut off foreign users specifically, when the government’s intent was to deprive everyone of access.
    Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 9 July 2026
  • Along the way, Cleo discovers that the monsters’ aren’t as monstrous as most everyone thinks.
    Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • This presumes that their athletic ability would translate onto the soccer pitch.
    Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Creativity, though, presumes a background in classic technique onto which a personal point of view is added.
    Laura Clawson, JSTOR Daily, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • Nicole Brown, a historian of Martha Jefferson at Monticello, suspects that the impossible date was the result of turmoil in Jefferson’s personal life.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • The plot follows an HR executive named Val at a South Bay aerospace company who suspects that Leela, a young, female engineer, was snubbed for a promotion.
    Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

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