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surmise

[ verb ser-mahyz; noun ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz ]
/ verb sərˈmaɪz; noun sərˈmaɪz, ˈsɜr maɪz /
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See synonyms for: surmise / surmised / surmising on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), sur·mised, sur·mis·ing.
to think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.
verb (used without object), sur·mised, sur·mis·ing.
to conjecture or guess.
noun
a matter of conjecture.
an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
a conjecture or opinion.
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Origin of surmise

1350–1400; Middle English surmisen from Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French (past participle of surmettre “to accuse” from Latin supermittere “to throw upon”), equivalent to sur- sur-1 + mis (masculine), mise (feminine) from Latin missus, missa, equivalent to mit(tere) “to send” + -tus, -ta past participle suffix

synonym study for surmise

1. See guess.

OTHER WORDS FROM surmise

Words nearby surmise

Surinamese, Surinam toad, surjection, surjective, surly, surmise, surmount, surmountable, surmullet, surname, surpass
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to surmise

deduce, hypothesize, infer, opine, presume, pretend, speculate, theorize, assumption, attempt, conjecture, deduction, guesstimate, guesswork, hunch, hypothesis, idea, inference, notion, opinion

How to use surmise in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for surmise

surmise
verb (sɜːˈmaɪz)
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to infer (something) from incomplete or uncertain evidence
noun (sɜːˈmaɪz, ˈsɜːmaɪz)
an idea inferred from inconclusive evidence

Derived forms of surmise

surmisable, adjectivesurmiser, noun

Word Origin for surmise

C15: from Old French, from surmettre to accuse, from Latin supermittere to throw over, from super- + mittere to send
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
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