hypothesize

especially British, hy·poth·e·sise

[hahy-poth-uh-sahyz, hi-]

verb (used with object)

hypothesized, hypothesizing 

1. to assume tentatively or set forth as a plausible explanation or as a reasonable basis for further investigation in the light of established facts.

   Given these data, we can hypothesize that the rise in truck accidents is directly related to the stressful work environment and unsafe driving practices of drivers.

2. to theorize, infer, or tentatively conclude.

   He said little, but based on his body language and tone, I hypothesized that he had feelings for her.

verb (used without object)

hypothesized, hypothesizing 

1. to form or set forth, based on established facts, a plausible explanation or reasonable basis for further investigation of something.

   She has written several well-researched papers hypothesizing about the origins of language.

2. to theorize or draw tentative conclusions or inferences.

   I like to hypothesize about life in the next century.

hypothesize

/ haɪˈpɒθɪˌsaɪz /

verb

1. to form or assume as a hypothesis

hypothesize

1. To form a hypothesis.

Other Word Forms

• hypothesizer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hypothesize¹

First recorded in 1730–40; hypothes(is) + -ize

Example Sentences

But the way Stoppard incorporates mathematical concepts as rarefied as fractal geometry to explore concepts of order and chaos as the characters hypothesize on the patterns of time is Stoppardian through and through.

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"A lot of people hypothesize what they would have done, or whether they would have been able to take on the attacker," said Astrid.

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The team hypothesizes that even though DFT does not directly model Cooper pairs, the electron density it predicts should resemble that of paired electrons, allowing researchers to study potential superconducting behavior.

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Scientists can use them to test whether certain hypothesized light-weight elementary particles exist and how massive they are.

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“I would hypothesize that we didn’t have as many people in the office five days a week, even pre-COVID, just because of the nature of the work that takes place in Los Angeles.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times