surmise
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a matter of conjecture.
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an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
-
a conjecture or opinion.
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See guess.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has surmisedperfect 3rd person singular
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have surmisedperfect
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are surmisingprogressive
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has been surmisingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been surmisingperfect progressive
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is surmisingprogressive 3rd person singular
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surmisessingular 3rd person
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am surmisingprogressive 1st person singular
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surmisingparticiple
Past
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had surmisedperfect
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were surmisingprogressive plural
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surmisedsimple
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was surmisingprogressive singular
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had been surmisingperfect progressive
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surmisedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of surmise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English surmisen, from Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French “accused,” past participle of surmettre “to accuse,” from Latin supermittere “to throw upon,” from super super- + mittere “to let go, send”
Explanation
If you see empty ice cream containers on the table, sprinkles littering the ground, and a can of whipped cream in the trash, you can surmise what happened: someone made sundaes. To surmise is to form an opinion or make a guess about something. If you surmise that something is true, you don't have much evidence or knowledge about it. Near synonyms are guess, conjecture, and suppose. You might say, "I can't even surmise what he would do in such a situation." Surmise came to English from the French surmettre, "to accuse," which is formed from the prefix sur-, "on, upon," plus mettre, "to put" (from Latin mittere, "to send").
Vocabulary lists containing surmise
The Great Gatsby
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Grade 10, List 2
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Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Blog: Silas writes essays from time to time on his blog, A Country Boy Can Surmise.
From Time Magazine Archive
Franklin Roosevelt grimaced, declared that all reports of whom he would nominate should be labeled "Surmise No. 23."
From Time Magazine Archive
Surmise and suspicion feed on the unusual, and when a man goes about his business along the usual rut, they soon fade away for lack of nourishment.
From Old Gorgon Graham More Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son by Lorimer, George Horace
I cannot but surmise—forgive, my friend, If the conjecture’s rash—I cannot but Surmise the state some danger apprehends!
From A Study of Shakespeare by Gosse, Edmund
Surmise is not proof, and only proof is to be feared.
From The Mystery of Murray Davenport A Story of New York at the Present Day by Stephens, Robert Neilson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
