as in guessing
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 speculating
Though some of the stories focused on their enviable style, much of it was devoted to speculating about their appearance and mental health.
—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 June 2026
These markets allow participants to take positions speculating on future events in ways that can resemble trading on privileged information rather than public analysis.
—
Kelvin Dickenson,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Apparently, even the guests are still speculating about Swift and Kelce's wedding location.
—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
29 June 2026
The film’s maker went unknown for many decades, with some speculating it had been directed by Andy Warhol, but in 1999, Bidgood’s true identity was discovered—and the underground classic underwent an ongoing process of rediscovery.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 June 2026
Some analysts are also speculating that the Nike Investors Day slated for this fall will likely be postponed until next year to give Denton a chance to get acclimated to his new firm and learn more about operations.
—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
26 June 2026
Some of the Northanger team said they were owed tens of thousands of pounds, with sources speculating that the total debt could be worth as much as £200,000.
—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
Then Facebook and Instagram happened — and a new generation of Haitians began speculating about the identity of the boy in the photograph.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
Details about the preliminary finding spurred stories speculating about Robinson’s possible exoneration.
—
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 June 2026
These markets allow participants to take positions speculating on future events in ways that can resemble trading on privileged information rather than public analysis.
—
Kelvin Dickenson,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2026
Apparently, even the guests are still speculating about Swift and Kelce's wedding location.
—
People Staff,
PEOPLE,
29 June 2026
The film’s maker went unknown for many decades, with some speculating it had been directed by Andy Warhol, but in 1999, Bidgood’s true identity was discovered—and the underground classic underwent an ongoing process of rediscovery.
—
Liam Hess,
Vogue,
28 June 2026
Some analysts are also speculating that the Nike Investors Day slated for this fall will likely be postponed until next year to give Denton a chance to get acclimated to his new firm and learn more about operations.
—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
26 June 2026
Some of the Northanger team said they were owed tens of thousands of pounds, with sources speculating that the total debt could be worth as much as £200,000.
—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
22 June 2026
Then Facebook and Instagram happened — and a new generation of Haitians began speculating about the identity of the boy in the photograph.
—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
13 June 2026
Details about the preliminary finding spurred stories speculating about Robinson’s possible exoneration.
—
ABC News,
12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculating
Verb
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Competitive Wordle Score The Wordle Bot gets 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating me.
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Once the model is built, it can be used to take a scene constructed by artists and tweak it, making the physics look realistic — not by modeling the physics, but by guessing at them based on absorbing an incredibly large dataset of real-world footage.
Verb
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The rule was created assuming that could mean harm or illness, and not in-party fighting.
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For the past few years, conversations around AI adoption have centered around access to tools, assuming technology alone would drive transformation.
Verb
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This is designed to be a decoy to prevent the target from suspecting anything is amiss.
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So Boutros, no doubt suspecting political preconceptions at work, addressed the grand jurors himself.
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.
Verb
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Going into my 18th year of teaching, my biggest goal is re-creating that experience of thinking critically for oneself and studying literature through a critical lens.
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Nearby, Mariana Roufett packed boxes of humanitarian aid while thinking about her childhood friend and her family, who remain missing.
Cite this Entry
“Speculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculating. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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