SURMISING Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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

Verb

Then, just to keep us guessing, Pugh attended a press event at New York’s Paley Center in an ethereal all-white Erdem gown, a personification of symbolic innocence.

— Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Booking Holdings’ chief financial officer thinks the companies spending the most on artificial intelligence are guessing.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of guessing

Verb

So, associations should avoid assuming that a seemingly minor irrigation problem presents no legal concern.

— Christyne D. Santisteban, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026
The May 2027 board elections would be conducted under the new system if adopted, assuming the voting districts are drawn and approved at least 120 days before the election, according to state law.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of assuming

Verb

More recently, other experts have advised American farmers to go all out growing soybeans, supposing they will be needed by the Chinese or somebody.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
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

Legal experts say that bail is rarely given where there are serious grounds for suspecting terrorism offenses.

— Kara Fox, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026
From then on, maybe suspecting his daughters of foul play, Andrew kept the doors to his room locked — both the one that opened out into the stairs and the one connecting his room to Lizzie’s.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of suspecting

Verb

The industry is obsessively speculating on who survives the merger to be named to David Ellison‘s executive leadership team come Monday.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
And like Farrar’s Twitter character, dangling on that final, hopeful comma, the president’s critics still return to speculating that this next scandal might just be the one that delivers comeuppance.

— David Mack, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of speculating

Browse Nearby Words

surmises

surmising

surmount

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“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of surmising

verb

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