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
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
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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But these are just guesses, not official explanations.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
9 Jan. 2026
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Prior Greenland bids The lowest guesses come from a direct comparison with history.—
Kevin Breuninger,
CNBC,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet his rhetoric assumes that Jewish identity is synonymous with privilege, that Jewish concerns are secondary — or suspect.—
David Moore,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
-
The literary record assumes the same.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 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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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
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Mike speculates that their last look at Eleven was really Kali’s holographic illusion, which would explain why Eleven’s body seemed to vanish as the Upside Down exploded.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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When considering long-term use, Alpert thinks about several factors.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Dieu thinks kids may be to blame.—
Tori Apodaca,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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The guidance presumes that the current tariff rates on all countries will stay in place for the remainder of 2025 and beyond.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Video shows suspects opening fire from Dallas bridge Acevedo and AlarconSanchez are charged with discharge of a firearm in certain municipalities, a class A misdemeanor.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Anyone who suspects fraud can also place a fraud alert on their credit report for free.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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