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surmise

[ verb ser-mahyz; noun ser-mahyz, sur-mahyz ]
/ verb sərˈmaɪz; noun sərˈmaɪz, ˈsɜr maɪz /

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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Words related to surmise

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

Words nearby surmise

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

SYNONYMS FOR surmise

1 imagine, suppose, suspect. See guess.

OTHER WORDS FROM surmise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for surmises

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 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