speculate
Americanverb (used without object)
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speculates,
present (3rd person singular)
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speculated,
past participle, past
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speculating
present participle
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to engage in thought or reflection; meditate (often followed by on, upon, or a clause).
-
to indulge in conjectural thought.
- Synonyms:
- theorize, suppose, surmise, guess, conjecture
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to engage in any business transaction involving considerable risk or the chance of large gains, especially to buy and sell commodities, stocks, etc., in the expectation of a quick or very large profit.
verb
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(when tr, takes a clause as object) to conjecture without knowing the complete facts
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(intr) to buy or sell securities, property, etc, in the hope of deriving capital gains
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(intr) to risk loss for the possibility of considerable gain
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(intr) rugby to make an emergency forward kick of the ball without taking any particular aim
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overspeculateverb (used without object)
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prespeculateverb (used without object)
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unspeculatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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speculatesimple
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speculatessimple
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have speculatedperfect
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has speculatedperfect
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am speculatingprogressive
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are speculatingprogressive
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is speculatingprogressive
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have been speculatingperfect progressive
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has been speculatingperfect progressive
Past
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speculatedsimple
-
had speculatedperfect
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was speculatingprogressive
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were speculatingprogressive
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had been speculatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of speculate
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin speculātus “watched over,” past participle of speculārī “to watch over, explore, reconnoiter,” verb derivative of specula “watchtower,” noun derivative of specere “to look, regard, see”
Explanation
When you speculate, you use what you know to make a prediction about an outcome, like when you speculate that the injury of two key players will prevent your favorite team from going far in the playoffs this year. The verb speculate has a specialized meaning in the world of finance — it means to take a financial risk in the hopes of monetary gain. For example, a business owner may speculate that a brand-new kind of frozen yogurt will be really popular, so she buys a huge order of it for her ice cream store. Someone who speculates goes looking for the next big thing, as seen in the word's Latin origin, speculatus, meaning "to spy out, examine."
Vocabulary lists containing speculate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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:
So while it is great fun to speculate — is it just another example of rich folk fleeing California’s high taxes?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Berlin has so far refused to speculate on the motives or identity of those responsible for the incident at Leipzig.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
The researchers speculate that the signal could come from a "stream" of material released by the star's core while the black hole's immense gravity was tearing it apart.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Northumbria Police said it was "aware there has already been significant interest" in what had happened and asked people not to speculate online or in the community.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“The witness is being asked to speculate as to her son’s state of mind and his emotional status. He’s—” “All right, all right,” said Alvin Hooks.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
He speculates that tariffs and inflation related to the war in Iran have played major roles in increasing travel expenses from $50,000 to at least $60,000 in one year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Presented with a detailed list of this article’s findings, Rachel Cauley, the OMB’s communications director, asserted that “this story is false because it speculates about policies that have not yet been decided.”
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
News coverage speculates about a "new tone" from the president.
From BBC ● Apr. 27, 2026
"It's possible this could explain the higher prevalence of autoimmune diseases in women," Cao speculates.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 28, 2026
Sleight speculates that Ruess inscribed this Nemo not long after departing Davis Gulch.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
In the future, it could be possible to use this technique to rapidly speed up the development of certain brain cells, Arlotta speculated.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Weather patterns and lunar phases impact the stock market because our moods affect how we process information, Hirshleifer and Shumway speculated in the conclusion of their study.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Detractors responded in turn, worrying that Grande’s ardent fans were enabling the singer’s unhealthy behavior and speculated eating disorder.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
Some speculated he never married for the same reason: Obligations to the Tibetan movement came first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Me and Lloyd speculated about using pickled peaches for bait.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
One is speculating in public about a woman’s health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“I find that question pretty offensive, frankly, when people start speculating about my death and my health,” he told a Swiss newspaper at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Intrigued by the vague mixture of menace and nostalgia that the image evoked, internet users began sharing stories and speculating that the Backrooms is a hidden dimension into which people might accidentally find themselves.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
"At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee's family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident."
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
It was not long before the sisters made a fortune speculating in the gold market.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
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.
