speculate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to engage in thought or reflection; meditate (often followed by on, upon, or a clause).
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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
- 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 greenback hit a fresh four-year low on foreign-exchange markets in early Tuesday trading as investors speculated that the U.S. and Japan may be working together to support the yen.
From Barron's
Juvenal was a satirist, she says, not an objective reporter; he may have been wryly speculating.
Give the account a nickname, like “Play Money,” to remind yourself that this is the only place you’ll speculate.
The loss of grey matter in areas involved with memory and emotion might partly explain why women are generally at greater risk of dementia than men, researchers speculate.
From BBC
There is no sign that the Treasury actually completed any dollar-yen trades, but Friday’s rate check was enough to push up the yen, as traders speculated about a future intervention.
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.
