speculate

[ spek-yuh-leyt ]

/ ˈspɛk yəˌleɪt /

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See synonyms for: speculate / speculated / speculating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), spec·u·lat·ed, spec·u·lat·ing.

to engage in thought or reflection; meditate (often followed by on, upon, or a clause).

to indulge in conjectural thought.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR speculate

1 think, reflect, cogitate.

2 conjecture, guess, surmise, suppose, theorize.

See synonyms for speculate on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of speculate

1590–1600; <Latin speculātus, past participle of speculārī to watch over, explore, reconnoiter, derivative of specula watch tower, noun derivative of specere to look, regard; see -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM speculate

o·ver·spec·u·late, verb (used without object), o·ver·spec·u·lat·ed, o·ver·spec·u·lat·ing.pre·spec·u·late, verb (used without object), pre·spec·u·lat·ed, pre·spec·u·lat·ing.un·spec·u·lat·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use speculate in a sentence

Some economists speculate the economy turned around in May, as states reopened and the economy added jobs for the first time since February.
U.S. economy recoups two-thirds of ground lost in first half of year, but there is still far to go|Rachel Siegel, Andrew Van Dam|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Llama sacrifices occurred in front of local audiences, Valdez and his colleagues speculate.
Mummified llamas yield new insights into Inca ritual sacrifices|Bruce Bower|October 27, 2020|Science News
SpaceX founder Elon Musk, for example, recently speculated about the possibility of building a Starlink network on Mars.
The moon will soon have cell service|Charlie Wood|October 22, 2020|Popular-Science
Meanwhile, researchers speculated that the protests and riots that followed may have kept a lot of other citizens who weren’t participating off the streets — reducing the overall number of people who could be exposed.
What A Summer Of COVID-19 Taught Scientists About Indoor vs. Outdoor Transmission|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 19, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

News outlet Android Central speculated earlier this week that Pei was leaving the firm possibly because of an alleged “internal power struggle” between him and Lau, 45.
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei confirms he has left the company|Manish Singh|October 16, 2020|TechCrunch
“Of course he has no answer he is purely speculating,” Allen said.
Florida Cops on What Ferguson Can Learn From Trayvon|Chris Francescani|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Naturally, the gay press has enjoyed speculating as to the exact reason.
The Hateful Pastor All Too Happy to Be Left Behind When It Comes to Gays|Jay Michaelson|September 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Smith was asked how he could diagnose Obama, he admitted he is not a psychologist and was just speculating.
Republican Thinks Obama’s Mental Illness Caused Border Crisis|Gideon Resnick|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We tend to daydream all the time, speculating about the future and dwelling on the past.
Peter Matthiessen Was One of the Greatest Writers of a Great Generation|Malcolm Jones|April 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But since when has that stopped anyone from speculating about True Detective?
How ‘True Detective’ Will End|Andrew Romano|March 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Moreover, he sank a million in the Wortschin mines where he had been speculating with hypothecated securities of his wife's.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
At the same time he began lending money on short time, and by speculating with the poorer class he acquired a certain competence.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The speculating atheist, the theist will tell us, may be an honest man, but his writings will cause atheism in politics.
Superstition In All Ages (1732)|Jean Meslier
The proudest philosopher, speculating on the origin of the universe, is convicted of ignorance.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
Thyrsis went, speculating on the way as to what strange manner of being this publisher might be.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for speculate

speculate

/ (ˈspɛkjʊˌleɪt) /

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) NZ rugby to make an emergency forward kick of the ball without taking any particular aim

Word Origin for speculate

C16: from Latin speculārī to spy out, from specula a watchtower, from specere to look at

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

speculate

OTHER WORDS FOR speculate

Origin of speculate

OTHER WORDS FROM speculate

Words related to speculate

How to use speculate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for speculate

Word Origin for speculate