speculate
Americanverb (used without object)
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speculates,
present (3rd person singular)
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speculated,
past participle, past
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speculating
present participle
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to engage in thought or reflection; meditate (often followed by on, upon, or a clause).
-
to indulge in conjectural thought.
- Synonyms:
- theorize, suppose, surmise, guess, conjecture
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to engage in any business transaction involving considerable risk or the chance of large gains, especially to buy and sell commodities, stocks, etc., in the expectation of a quick or very large profit.
verb
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(when tr, takes a clause as object) to conjecture without knowing the complete facts
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(intr) to buy or sell securities, property, etc, in the hope of deriving capital gains
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(intr) to risk loss for the possibility of considerable gain
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(intr) rugby to make an emergency forward kick of the ball without taking any particular aim
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overspeculateverb (used without object)
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prespeculateverb (used without object)
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unspeculatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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speculatesimple
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speculatessimple
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have speculatedperfect
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has speculatedperfect
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am speculatingprogressive
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are speculatingprogressive
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is speculatingprogressive
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have been speculatingperfect progressive
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has been speculatingperfect progressive
Past
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speculatedsimple
-
had speculatedperfect
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was speculatingprogressive
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were speculatingprogressive
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had been speculatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of speculate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin speculātus “watched over,” past participle of speculārī “to watch over, explore, reconnoiter,” verb derivative of specula “watchtower,” noun derivative of specere “to look, regard, see”
Explanation
When you speculate, you use what you know to make a prediction about an outcome, like when you speculate that the injury of two key players will prevent your favorite team from going far in the playoffs this year. The verb speculate has a specialized meaning in the world of finance — it means to take a financial risk in the hopes of monetary gain. For example, a business owner may speculate that a brand-new kind of frozen yogurt will be really popular, so she buys a huge order of it for her ice cream store. Someone who speculates goes looking for the next big thing, as seen in the word's Latin origin, speculatus, meaning "to spy out, examine."
Vocabulary lists containing speculate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
See Examples For:
These are long-dated options contracts — a kind of long-term portfolio insurance that can also be used to speculate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
“I speculate he saw that note or somehow figured out she was going to institutionalize him, but I have no idea.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
The investigation was still in its early stages, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said, and the public was asked "to follow official channels for updates" and not to speculate.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
OCTOBER: This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Self-exposure was inevitable the moment she described a character’s weakness; the reader was bound to speculate that she was describing herself.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
"Our current findings suggest that in stress-associated psychiatric disorders such as depression, the CRH system in OPCs may play a greater role than previously known," Deussing speculates.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
She speculates that its harsh reception may have to some degree gratified its author who, after all, “did mean to write a savage, cruel, and gloomy novel.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
News coverage speculates about a "new tone" from the president.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
A raid to seize the enriched uranium, in what Kavanagh speculates is an attempt to “embarrass” Iran into submission, would face a slew of problems.
From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026
Sleight speculates that Ruess inscribed this Nemo not long after departing Davis Gulch.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
For PTC, the price of the deal is in the same region as what was speculated last year with Autodesk, according to JPM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Shortly after Muniz’s post, Price posted an Instagram story with a message that some followers speculated may be a response to the actor’s admission.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
Investors and banking industry executives have privately speculated the bank could be poised to acquire a smaller lender.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Following the announcement, some viewers speculated the show could be acquired by another UK broadcaster, but Bailey suggested the show's creators may prefer to go it alone.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
They speculated about what the Professor had in mind, and had just about agreed that he was probably bringing back all their stuff, when he arrived—apparently empty-handed.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
It began with small accounts on social media speculating or claiming that Talarico was out not because he was physically ill but because he was mentally ill.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Wall Street had been speculating whether Meta would begin leasing out its data-center capacity as a way of monetizing its AI infrastructure in a highly profitable manner.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The results “looked quite believable,” he said, speculating that many of the images that have gone viral on social media may have been produced using older models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
These developments are worrisome enough that scientists start speculating about a major eruption’s impacts.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
“What’s the difference between wagering at the Crow Club and speculating on the floor of the Exchange?”
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
