SURMISING Synonyms: 34 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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

Verb

Sorry to say it, but right now, guessing is what many are doing.

— Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
LaBranche has become a master of sleight of hand and confusing defenses as the Warriors utilize a ton of misdirection and a plethora of running backs to keep the opposition guessing about who is getting the ball.

— Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of guessing

Verb

Thinking that writing code was the only bottleneck for deploying new software is like the Titanic seeing the tip of the iceberg and assuming there was nothing underneath it.

— Brian Jenney, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Oct. 2026
Catoir warns against assuming that digital natives will naturally be equipped to work with AI.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of assuming

Verb

More recently, other experts have advised American farmers to go all out growing soybeans, supposing they will be needed by the Chinese or somebody.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
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

Sacramento firefighters have responded to multiple fires along the American River Parkway near Northgate Boulevard over the past week, with investigators suspecting the fires may have been human-caused.

— Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
The family, suspecting Yarludy’s been assaulted by her teacher, accuses both Oscar and the center.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of suspecting

Verb

Pundits are already speculating on the movie’s Oscar chances in the Best Picture category, where no documentary has ever been nominated before.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
Political experts are also speculating about what the contribution means about AOC's political future.

— Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of speculating

Browse Nearby Words

surmises

surmising

surmount

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“Surmising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surmising. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of surmising

verb

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