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.
The rest of us can only speculate about his inner turmoil.
Fans begin speculating what led to their divorce.
From Los Angeles Times
Nunez said he did not know who was behind the incident but speculated that it might have been "proxies" linked to Iran.
From Barron's
Shoveling out my car after a snowstorm while chatting with an Oura-wearing friend, we speculated about whether the ring would know what I’d been up to.
Since the 1970s, engineers speculated this might allow humans to store vast quantities of energy more or less indefinitely.
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.
