as in guess
an opinion or judgment based on little or no evidence
my surmise is that the couple's "good news" is the announcement that they are going to have a baby
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to guess
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surmise
Melissa Healystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
Instead, Rodrigues and Ohlrogge surmise, the glut of retail investors are probably not showing up for the vote.
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 7 Sep. 2022
Will Sammon, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The authors surmise that the ancient humans who made these arrowheads used secretions from the bulbs of Boophone disticha, an Amaryllidaceae species that is well known to have been used for centuries as an arrow poison .
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surmise
Noun
One surmise is that the syndrome is caused by residual viral debris that continues to activate and/or exhaust the immune system.
—Melissa Healystaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2022
Instead, Rodrigues and Ohlrogge surmise, the glut of retail investors are probably not showing up for the vote.
—Scott Nover, Quartz, 7 Sep. 2022
Verb
If not for injuries over the last couple of seasons, executives from different clubs surmised, Tucker landing north of $400 million would not be a question.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
The authors surmise that the ancient humans who made these arrowheads used secretions from the bulbs of Boophone disticha, an Amaryllidaceae species that is well known to have been used for centuries as an arrow poison .
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surmise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmise
Noun
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The Twins are expected to carry eight relievers on their Opening Day roster; what that will look like is anyone’s guess.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
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My guess is that Vonn will, in time, mentally and emotionally move on from her crash in Cortina.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Until recently, the markets had assumed that companies would be buoyed by the massive amount of capex (capital expenditure) going into AI, and that AI would generate new efficiencies and higher productivity that would ultimately result in higher revenues and earnings per share.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
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In the past, scientists had assumed that the ability to pretend and consider multiple realities was unique to humans.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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You’re supposed to be focused on growth, not profitability.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Originally supposed to fly Sierra Space Dream Chaser test flight, but payload switched to an inert mass simulator because of potential Dream Chaser delays beyond October launch date.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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It was widely presumed as a matter of faith that a model’s effectiveness was proportional to its mystery.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmise. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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