surmise
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
a matter of conjecture.
-
an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
-
a conjecture or opinion.
verb
noun
Related Words
See guess.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of surmise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English surmisen, from Anglo-French surmis(e), Middle French “accused,” past participle of surmettre “to accuse,” from Latin supermittere “to throw upon,” from super super- + mittere “to let go, send”
Explanation
If you see empty ice cream containers on the table, sprinkles littering the ground, and a can of whipped cream in the trash, you can surmise what happened: someone made sundaes. To surmise is to form an opinion or make a guess about something. If you surmise that something is true, you don't have much evidence or knowledge about it. Near synonyms are guess, conjecture, and suppose. You might say, "I can't even surmise what he would do in such a situation." Surmise came to English from the French surmettre, "to accuse," which is formed from the prefix sur-, "on, upon," plus mettre, "to put" (from Latin mittere, "to send").
Vocabulary lists containing surmise
The Great Gatsby
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Grade 10, List 2
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Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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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.
Maybe one could surmise that people have gotten tired of heated discourse, that they’re bored by arguing.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
When I surmise that the printed version of our conversation may have a lot of “redacted, redacted, redacted,” Peaches is quick to respond.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026
We don’t really know who Isidora was: We can surmise that she was, most likely, the wife of a man of means, of high but not regal status.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
In this eerie, rather primitive context, its easy to surmise that the murderess is a witch.
From New York Times • Jun. 20, 2024
He paused, surveying us with the kind of wide- eyed surmise Mr. Carhart always used at this point, and then added in Mr. Carhart’s urbane murmur, “Let us pray.”
From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles
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.
