surmising

verb

present participle of surmise
as in guessing
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

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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 surmising During this period, this Simpsons episode circulated on social media (with a few digital modifications), with various media outlets surmising that the series had predicted these events. — Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surmising
  1. guessing
  2. assuming
  3. supposing
  4. suspecting
  5. speculating
Verb
  • As has been the norm this summer, seasonal storms kept attendees guessing about whether the July 4 tradition would go forward until downbeat.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Just like his previous assist for Dembele, both came from sneaky passes into the box, the first for Bradley Barcola after another mazy run and cheeky nutmeg on the defender, keeping Gustaf Lagerbielke guessing before rolling it through his legs.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of guessing
Verb
  • The rule was created assuming that could mean harm or illness, and not in-party fighting.
    — Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2026
  • For the past few years, conversations around AI adoption have centered around access to tools, assuming technology alone would drive transformation.
    — Bill Pappas, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of assuming
Verb
  • Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 8 Dec. 2025
Definition of supposing
Verb
  • This is designed to be a decoy to prevent the target from suspecting anything is amiss.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
  • So Boutros, no doubt suspecting political preconceptions at work, addressed the grand jurors himself.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Definition of suspecting
Verb
  • 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
Definition of speculating

Browse Nearby Words

surmises
surmising
surmount
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Cite this Entry

“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on surmising

Nglish: Translation of surmising for Spanish Speakers

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