as in guessing
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmising
Verb
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Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, and Leeds United, Fernandez and Cole Palmer have shared responsibilities across the No 10 and left wing positions, rotating in-game to keep opponents guessing.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026 -
Everyone—from bankers to studio chiefs—will keep guessing what counts as market power when the biggest player in streaming never had to test its limits in court.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a market as economically diverse as Miami, this threshold is worth checking before assuming drug costs are fixed.—
Allison Palmer
March 3,
Miami Herald,
3 Mar. 2026
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Zillow’s affordability target price is based on house payments — excluding taxes and insurance and assuming a 20% down payment — that equal 30% of the local median income.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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That’s partly because girls are less frequently diagnosed with ADHD than boys are, so many adult women live their whole life with the disorder without ever suspecting it.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
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Later, Zapata had her killed, suspecting her of being the mole.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After a vague, mid-February social media post got fans speculating if Curtis had accidentally spilled the beans that the upcoming fifth season of the culinary dramedy would be its last, the Emmy winner seems to be doubling down on her comments.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Mar. 2026
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Viewers were speculating that another important death from the books, that of Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker), could be a possibility from the shots of Benedict’s black clothing.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
26 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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