definitions

surmise

[ verb ser-mahyz; noun ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz ]
/ verb sərˈmaɪz; noun sərˈmaɪz, ˈsɜr maɪz /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR surmise 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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RELATED WORDS

pretend, theorize, hypothesize, deduce, presume, speculate, opine, infer, presumption, conjecture, attempt, theory, inference, deduction, idea, supposition, suspicion, thought, assumption, hypothesis

Nearby words

suriname, surinamese, surjection, surjective, surly, surmise, surmount, surmullet, surname, surpass, surpassing

Origin of surmise

1350–1400; Middle English surmisen < Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French (past participle of surmettre to accuse < Latin supermittere to throw upon), equivalent to sur- sur-1 + mis (masculine), mise (feminine) < Latin missus, missa, equivalent to mit(tere) to send + -tus, -ta past participle suffix
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for surmise

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 Formssurmisable, 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