as in to guess
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
I speculate that someone has been using this cabin as a trysting place
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of speculate
The doctors speculated that after the revision was done, there may still have been ceramic microparticles from the previous shattered liner left in the joint.
—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2026
Roughly 40 minutes later, Carrol and King speculate as to why a female employee may have been wanted at the courthouse.
—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 July 2026
After Democrats lost big in the 2024 election, some party members speculated that a Great Ideological Rejiggering was in order.
—
Elaine Godfrey,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2026
While the exact whereabouts of the ring is widely speculated, it is believed to have been returned to Dodi’s father, and was still in his possession at the time of his death in 2023.
—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculate
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2026
Roughly 40 minutes later, Carrol and King speculate as to why a female employee may have been wanted at the courthouse.
—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 July 2026
After Democrats lost big in the 2024 election, some party members speculated that a Great Ideological Rejiggering was in order.
—
Elaine Godfrey,
The Atlantic,
1 July 2026
While the exact whereabouts of the ring is widely speculated, it is believed to have been returned to Dodi’s father, and was still in his possession at the time of his death in 2023.
—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for speculate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculate
Verb
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Peter, Anton and Marian Stastny, Quebec Nordiques, 1980-89 Even someone who barely knows a puck from a duck could guess Wayne Gretzky led the NHL in scoring for the 1980s.
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Competitive Wordle Score The Wordle Bot gets 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating me.
Verb
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Some Cuba watchers are skeptical Rodríguez Castro could assume a leading role in the official government.
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Vahidi, who assumed the role after his predecessor Mohammad Pakpour was killed in US-Israeli strikes on the first day of the war, is rarely seen in public.
Verb
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There’s supposed to be a different cut of the film that shows Sarah’s face being smashed in by Nikki in the movie’s most shocking moment.
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The recent military action tested an initial agreement that was supposed to halt hostilities during 60 days of negotiations.
Verb
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At the time of the arrest, police seized more than $200,000 worth of drugs, including Ecstasy, LSD, and what police suspected was ketamine.
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House Bill 945 establishes new regulations for cryptocurrency kiosks and allows financial institutions to place temporary holds on transactions when elder financial exploitation is suspected.
Verb
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Everybody thought this match was going to be a walk in the park.
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There was at least one person who thought to protest over the situation.
Cite this Entry
“Speculate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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