surmising

verb

present participle of surmise
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

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 surmising During this period, this Simpsons episode circulated on social media (with a few digital modifications), with various media outlets surmising that the series had predicted these events. — Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmising
  1. guessing
  2. assuming
  3. supposing
  4. suspecting
  5. speculating
Verb
  • Competitive Wordle Score The Bot and I each get 1 point for guessing in three and 0 for tying.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Deliberate ambiguity increases uncertainty by keeping opponents guessing.
    — Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
Definition of guessing
Verb
  • The advice about not following your kids is often about not abandoning your life and support systems and assuming your kids will fill in the gaps.
    — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
  • Arguably the subsequent doubling was due to a combination of surging Chinese demand and momentum trading, but even assuming that, the market tightness after the war ended kept prices on a long upward trajectory, not a rocket launch.
    — Michael Lynch, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of assuming
Verb
  • 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
Definition of supposing
Verb
  • In the r/Solidcore subreddit, one expressed frustration with the fitness studio’s lack of communication after suspecting their ringworm infection came from the Downtown Brooklyn location.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 14 July 2026
  • Oceanside Police Captain Nick Nunez told KNSD that officers are not suspecting foul play.
    — Adam England, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026
Definition of suspecting
Verb
  • All that may be a mystery for the future, but worth speculating about because the Jays’ biggest opening post-deadline is in center field.
    — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Finally, founders may dare to stop speculating about the future and start inventing it.
    — Michael Wee, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of speculating

Browse Nearby Words

surmises
surmising
surmount
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Cite this Entry

“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on surmising

Nglish: Translation of surmising for Spanish Speakers

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