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Synonyms

guesstimate

American  
[ges-tuh-meyt, ges-tuh-mit, -meyt] / ˈgɛs təˌmeɪt, ˈgɛs tə mɪt, -ˌmeɪt /
Or guestimate

verb (used with object)

guesstimated, guesstimating
  1. to estimate without substantial basis in facts or statistics.


noun

  1. an estimate arrived at by guesswork.

guesstimate British  

noun

  1. an estimate calculated mainly or only by guesswork

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to form a guesstimate of

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of guesstimate

1935–40, blend of guess and estimate

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.

By my guesstimate, that was legal up until Malcolm was 22?

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

“It was a guesstimate, a very rough guesstimate,” Oathes says.

From Slate • Sep. 13, 2022

One early guesstimate located the heliopause as close as Jupiter.

From Scientific American • Jun. 16, 2022

So the recipe was part oral history, part complete guesstimate.

From Salon • Mar. 18, 2022

Ulis posits that the FBI’s search area in 1971 was too far east — that the FBI’s guesstimate of the plane’s flight path was off.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2020

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