intuit

American  

[in-too-it, -tyoo-, in-too-it, -tyoo-] / ɪnˈtu ɪt, -ˈtyu-, ˈɪn tu ɪt, -tyu- /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to know or receive by intuition.

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intuit British  

/ ɪnˈtjuːɪt /

verb

1. to know or discover by intuition

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Other Word Forms

• intuitable
  adjective
• unintuitable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of intuit

First recorded in 1770–80; back formation from intuition

Explanation

To intuit is to get a strong sense of something using only your intuition. You might give up on a job interview halfway through, if you intuit that the job wouldn't be a good fit for you. When you have a hunch about something, you intuit. For example, a pregnant woman might intuit that she's having twins, and a teacher might intuit that a student is having a hard day and needs some extra attention. The earliest meaning of intuit was "to tutor," until the mid-19th century. The word comes from the Latin root intueri, "look at, comprehend, or contemplate."

Example Sentences

Hawking could intuit the mathematics that describes the fabric of spacetime, but in that earlier book he sometimes forgot that the rest of us could not do the same, and meandered into distracting mathematical discussions.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026

I look for patterns and try to intuit a policy out of the behavior and the decisions.

From Slate • May 24, 2025

But the feature allowing it to intuit areas of tension that need massaging hasn’t been rolled out yet, Litman says.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2024

They seem to intuit that camaraderie goes hand in hand with political ambition, and that they shouldn’t take the curriculum, or themselves, too seriously.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024

Theo gives a formal bow at the neck, which he must intuit would appeal to my father’s sense of respect and decorum.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse