surmise

[verb ser-mahyz; noun ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz]

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.

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 formssur·mis·a·ble, adjectivesur·mised·ly

[ser-mahyzd-lee, -mahy-zid-] /sərˈmaɪzd li, -ˈmaɪ zɪd-/, adverbsur·mis·er, nounun·sur·mised, adjectiveun·sur·mis·ing, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for surmise on Thesaurus.com

1. imagine, suppose, suspect. See guess.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for surmises

Contemporary Examples

Democratic money people are now, one surmises, mostly in the place where they want to see this happen.
Michael Tomasky on Why Obama Shouldn’t Defend Gay Marriage (For Now)
Michael Tomasky
March 24, 2012
"It is any one of four different possibilities that we are working on," Redstone surmises in the voicemail.
Sumner's Witch Hunt
Peter Lauria
July 20, 2010
Keenan surmises that law enforcement, including the FBI, may be applying the same tactics in this case.
An Ivy League Tragedy
John Connolly, Wendy Murphy
September 13, 2009

Historical Examples

To this day he can not put a name to it; he surmises that it was Wapping.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance
And she promptly reassured Madame Desagneaux with regard to her surmises.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
She was mistaken in her surmises, however, for Lisa was not a devotee.
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
Brown thought and guessed and surmised, but guesses and surmises were fruitless.
The Woman-Haters
Joseph C. Lincoln
What am I to say—what am I to do, mother, if—if—your surmises be actually true?
Pretty Madcap Dorothy
Laura Jean Libbey

British Dictionary definitions for surmises

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

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

Word Origin and History for surmises

surmise

v.

c.1400, "to charge, allege," from Old French surmis, past participle of surmettre "to accuse," from sur- "upon" (see sur-) + mettre "put," from Latin mittere "to send" (see mission). Meaning "to infer conjecturally" is recorded from 1700. Related: Surmised; surmising.

surmise

n.

early 15c., legal, "a charge, a formal accusation;" see surmise (v.). Meaning "inference, guess" is first found in English 1580s.

surmise

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Synonyms

Examples from the Web for surmises

Contemporary Examples

Democratic money people are now, one surmises, mostly in the place where they want to see this happen.

"It is any one of four different possibilities that we are working on," Redstone surmises in the voicemail.

Keenan surmises that law enforcement, including the FBI, may be applying the same tactics in this case.

Historical Examples

To this day he can not put a name to it; he surmises that it was Wapping.

And she promptly reassured Madame Desagneaux with regard to her surmises.

She was mistaken in her surmises, however, for Lisa was not a devotee.

Brown thought and guessed and surmised, but guesses and surmises were fruitless.

What am I to say—what am I to do, mother, if—if—your surmises be actually true?

surmise

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for surmises

surmise

v.

surmise

n.

Origin of surmise