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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

But that 80 percent stat is at best a guesstimate, according to a New York Times article.

From Slate • Aug. 12, 2024

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

No matter, it is possible to guesstimate the cost.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2021

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.