speculation
noun
spec·u·la·tion
ˌspe-kyə-ˈlā-shən 
: an act or instance of speculating: such as
a
: assumption of unusual business risk in hopes of obtaining commensurate gain
b
: a transaction involving such speculation
Examples of speculation in a Sentence
He dismissed their theories as mere speculation.
The book is just a lot of idle speculation about the future.
Her speculations leave many questions unanswered.
He lost everything in foolish land speculation.
Recent Examples on the Web
The orders follow weeks of speculation about whether the 82nd Airborne Division would join the war, after its headquarters unit abruptly pulled out of a training exercise this month.
—
Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2026
The release this year of millions of pages of the Epstein files — some previously unseen, some heavily redacted and many already made public through lawsuits and court filings — has only renewed speculation by highlighting inconsistencies in the official account and uncovering new questions.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
There is already speculation that Disney could try to salvage the show by putting it exclusively on Hulu.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
That bureaucratic tension has fueled widespread speculation about the future direction of CBS in particular.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculation
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Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2026
The release this year of millions of pages of the Epstein files — some previously unseen, some heavily redacted and many already made public through lawsuits and court filings — has only renewed speculation by highlighting inconsistencies in the official account and uncovering new questions.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
There is already speculation that Disney could try to salvage the show by putting it exclusively on Hulu.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 25 Mar. 2026
That bureaucratic tension has fueled widespread speculation about the future direction of CBS in particular.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculation
Cite this Entry
“Speculation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speculation. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
speculation
noun
spec·u·la·tion
ˌspek-yə-ˈlā-shən
1
: thoughts or guesses about something
much speculation about who the new teacher would be
2
: the taking of a big risk in business in hopes of making a big profit
Legal Definition
speculation
noun
spec·u·la·tion
ˌspe-kyə-ˈlā-shən
: an act or instance of speculating: as
a
: assumption of unusual business risk in hopes of obtaining commensurate gain
b
: a transaction involving such speculation
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