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
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 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
Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 9 Aug. 2025
In the study, Ned correctly surmises that Colum riled Dougal up into beating Malcolm so that Colum could be seen as the cooler head/better leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
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
Center staff surmised the bird had become entangled in fishing line.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 9 Aug. 2025
In the study, Ned correctly surmises that Colum riled Dougal up into beating Malcolm so that Colum could be seen as the cooler head/better leader.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surmise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmise
Noun
-
My guess is that the folks at Sony thought that most people generally don't tap into those dramatically high DPIs.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Use these clues to narrow down your guesses.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Do not assume the AI will necessarily seek to produce quality-level code.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Gemini tackled the problem by assuming that each reservoir had a priority value, which allowed the model to find the most efficient configuration using a dynamic programming algorithm.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Damo doesn’t say anything about how the crew is not supposed to drink with the guests.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
-
It’s supposed to be really hard to win Davis Cup ties on foreign soil.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Most airport design has been done presuming drivers will be chaotic and won’t obey rules.—
Brad Templeton,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Two men were sentenced for their roles in the 2015 disappearance and presumed murder of Crystal Rogers.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surmise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmise. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share