speculate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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
-
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
-
(when tr, takes a clause as object) to conjecture without knowing the complete facts
-
(intr) to buy or sell securities, property, etc, in the hope of deriving capital gains
-
(intr) to risk loss for the possibility of considerable gain
-
(intr) rugby to make an emergency forward kick of the ball without taking any particular aim
Other Word Forms
- overspeculate verb (used without object)
- prespeculate verb (used without object)
- unspeculating adjective
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”
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.
"I would urge people not to share information or speculate on online platforms."
From BBC
They speculate some of the decrease could be attributable to some declining demand stemming from recent winter storms.
"Fast forward two and a half years and we've shown that exactly what we had speculated is feasible in mice."
From Science Daily
Those markets let businesses and financial institutions hedge or speculate against the future price of commodities such as oil or fluctuations in things like interest rates.
I’m asking you to speculate, but how do you think you will manage the first big test?
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.
