second-guess
Americanverb (used with object)
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to use hindsight in criticizing or correcting.
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to predict (something) or outguess (someone).
We must try to second-guess what he'll do next.
verb
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to criticize or evaluate with hindsight
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to attempt to anticipate or predict (a person or thing)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of second-guess
First recorded in 1945–50
Explanation
When you second-guess something, you either predict what will happen in the future, or look back and reevaluate something that happened in the past. You might second-guess your decision to wear shorts after it starts snowing. You can second-guess how your favorite player will perform in the Super Bowl, but you won't know until you watch the game. And then you might second-guess the way your team played. The first use of second-guess has you guessing what someone will do. The second, which is more common in the U.S., comes from baseball slang, "for a fan who loudly questions decisions by players."
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.
You are trying to second-guess what the goalkeeper will do, and he is trying to do the same to you, but at the same time you are battling negative thoughts about whether you will miss.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
This has allowed plaintiffs and lower courts to second-guess the Administration’s reasons for terminating TPS.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
"You shouldn't let a single Missouri jury second-guess that judgment."
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
Instead, it was just a steady stream of corporate and economic headlines chipping away at risk appetite, forcing both speculators and value investors to second-guess everything they thought they knew.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026
Reason: I don't want them to second-guess the interviews they did and ask me to delete them, which I will not for reasons of artistic integrity.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
