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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
speculatesimple
-
speculatessimple
-
have speculatedperfect
-
has speculatedperfect
-
am speculatingprogressive
-
are speculatingprogressive
-
is speculatingprogressive
-
have been speculatingperfect progressive
-
has been speculatingperfect progressive
Past
-
speculatedsimple
-
had speculatedperfect
-
was speculatingprogressive
-
were speculatingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Secret Life of Bees
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Four months ago Anthropic’s Dario Amodei could comfortably speculate that “things would have to go pretty badly” for the industry’s trillion-dollar investment not to be quickly repaid with trillion-dollar revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said it was "too early to speculate" on the cause of the crash while vowing "a thorough investigation ... to ensure that lessons are learnt".
From Barron's • Jun. 20, 2026
Experts also speculate that the darker blue color may be helping the Reflecting Pool absorb more heat.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 20, 2026
Most people speculate the ceremony will take place in the summer, before Kelce starts training for the next football season in mid-to-late July.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
There’s Peeta, but he couldn’t do any more than speculate, and who knows what state his mind’s in, anyway.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
