as in guesses
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 assumes
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 surmises
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Sep. 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
Verb
Morgan correctly surmises that a misdelivered piece of mail was a move by the Game Master and not just a fuckup by the postal service.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmises
Noun
-
The post generated more than 300 guesses, some submitted purely in fun.—
Kathleen Hill,
The Providence Journal,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Noting her hesitancy, Benedict’s character in the book guesses that Sophie is illegitimate.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The newer model assumes that demand follows trust.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Kerry Haigh will continue to serve as interim CEO until Clark assumes his role March 2.—
Eric Prisbell,
Dallas Morning News,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Leo’s fine, one supposes, as evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, but the role is not a natural fit for him.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The first theory supposes that the Big Bang produced dense spots that didn’t collapse immediately.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, White speculates that the Hong Kong funds also got pummeled by headwinds in the Yen-carry trade—which made their financing more expensive—and exposure to recent convulsions in the silver market.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Christine Wilkinson, research associate with the California Academy of Sciences, speculates the coyote may have come from a pack that lives in San Francisco’s Coit Tower area, which has very little green space.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Bill Maher thinks the bridge between him and Jimmy Kimmel might be burned for good.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Celestin thinks the trend will continue as Black voters start to realize where their goals align with the Republican Party.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The second reason is that progress narratives depend on an arc bending in a particular direction, which presumes the existence of a future end state.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Dec. 2025
-
The guidance presumes that the current tariff rates on all countries will stay in place for the remainder of 2025 and beyond.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
18 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Lisa Simon, chief economist at Revelio Labs, which collects and analyzes public labor market data, also suspects that some companies are pointing to their use of AI to rationalize layoffs.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
McGuire, the University of Utah chief resident, suspects some of the hype comes down to pop science podcasting and its business model.—
Sara Talpos — Undark,
STAT,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Surmises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmises. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
