hypothesize
Americanverb (used with object)
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hypothesizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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hypothesized,
past participle, past
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hypothesizing
present participle
-
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.
-
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)
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hypothesizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hypothesized,
past participle, past
-
hypothesizing
present participle
-
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.
-
to theorize or draw tentative conclusions or inferences.
I like to hypothesize about life in the next century.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hypothesizesimple
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hypothesizessimple
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have hypothesizedperfect
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has hypothesizedperfect
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am hypothesizingprogressive
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are hypothesizingprogressive
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is hypothesizingprogressive
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have been hypothesizingperfect progressive
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has been hypothesizingperfect progressive
Past
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hypothesizedsimple
-
had hypothesizedperfect
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was hypothesizingprogressive
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were hypothesizingprogressive
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had been hypothesizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hypothesize
First recorded in 1730–40; hypothes(is) + -ize
Explanation
To hypothesize means simply to make a hypothesis. Which is just a scientific way of saying "make a really good educated guess." Ok, so when someone hypothesizes there's a little bit more involved than just guesswork. It involves using your past knowledge and available facts to try and predict what might happen. Scientists hypothesize all the time — it's the basis for every experiment. For example, doctors examining a werewolf might hypothesize that his furry face and oddball behavior stem from an illness and not the full moon.
Vocabulary lists containing hypothesize
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "G" and "H"
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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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:
With fewer fat cells available, the researchers hypothesize that fat may accumulate more slowly after weight loss.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
The researchers hypothesize that the agents were using the tool to get around restrictions on their web browsing, for instance to access websites that have blocks against automated access.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"A lot of people hypothesize what they would have done, or whether they would have been able to take on the attacker," said Astrid.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2025
“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.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2025
One can hypothesize that smell is produced by particles entering the nose.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Emily Choquette, director of the Torrance-based Float Clinic and Research Center, says she hypothesizes that some, but not all, of the benefits received during wet floating would be achieved with dry floating, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026
Griffith hypothesizes that signals from TRPM8 and GluK2 might be somehow combined—in the spinal cord, brain, or both—to influence a mouse’s choices.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 13, 2024
Oktay hypothesizes that those risks also may be mitigated in healthy women who delay menopause via ovarian tissue cryopreservation.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2024
How exactly that communication works isn't clear, but Schweikert hypothesizes that the system is working as a feedback system to keep the camouflage in check.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2023
Heckscher hypothesizes that this change in diet may help the veery return to North America in better shape, more capable of a longer breeding season.
From National Geographic ● Jul. 28, 2023
"We hypothesized that early initiation of LDL-C-lowering statins following type 2 diabetes diagnosis could be associated with a lower risk of dementia," said Doctor Ternhamar.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
Drawing on these findings, Dr. Snyder hypothesized that naturally occurring psychotic episodes were likely caused by high dopamine levels in the brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Abatzoglou hypothesized the region’s link between wildfires and soil moisture could cause the mitigating effects of the preceding El Niño to linger longer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
He also hypothesized that Tesla could cut vehicle or FSD prices to make its EVs more affordable and attractive to consumers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Properly called the Öpik–Oort cloud, it is named for the Estonian astronomer Ernst Öpik, who hypothesized its existence in 1932, and for the Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, who refined the calculations eighteen years later.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Musk has long sold his vision for Tesla to become the world’s most-valuable company, hypothesizing an eventual $30 trillion valuation on the strength of its robotics and AI products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
My whole goal with this show was to capture a small sliver of the zeitgeist where people could be talking about something, hypothesizing and talking, and I knew that required a weekly release.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2025
Thus, a controversy was sparked, with many scientists hypothesizing that non-cyanobacterial microorganisms must be responsible for the "missing" nitrogen fixation.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024
But they can also be longer, which means more effort, more information seeking and hypothesizing is needed, so uncertainty persists longer.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2023
No amount of your analyzing, criticizing, judging, or hypothesizing will bring the peace you are looking for.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
