surmise
Americanverb (used with object)
-
surmises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surmised,
past participle, past
-
surmising
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
surmises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
surmised,
past participle, past
-
surmising
present participle
noun
-
surmises
plural
-
a matter of conjecture.
-
an idea or thought of something as being possible or likely.
-
a conjecture or opinion.
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See guess.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
surmisesimple
-
surmisessimple
-
have surmisedperfect
-
has surmisedperfect
-
am surmisingprogressive
-
are surmisingprogressive
-
is surmisingprogressive
-
have been surmisingperfect progressive
-
has been surmisingperfect progressive
Past
-
surmisedsimple
-
had surmisedperfect
-
was surmisingprogressive
-
were surmisingprogressive
-
had been surmisingperfect progressive
Future
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Grade 10, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
If industry accolades and positive responses aren’t a measure of success, one can surmise that Netflix no longer cares if its users enjoy what they’re watching, only that they keep watching.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
One can only surmise that it is because he wants to gently remind us that confronting the challenges we now face—be they technical, social, economic or political—requires more than intellect, skill, charisma or treasure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
But when the lights dimmed for a film tribute to Scott Sanders, even a stranger could surmise that the man of the hour was no ordinary office jockey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2025
In this eerie, rather primitive context, its easy to surmise that the murderess is a witch.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2024
“Lot of people in London,” remarked Sir Grummore, with a wild surmise.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Evans surmises the fish that survived were in an area of the creek where less charred material and sediment were swept in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
Brand surmises that the Dutch collaborator Seyffardt acquired the painting at the 1940 auction and it was then passed down throughout the generations.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
As a colony that was less developed than Virginia and that possessed few geographic obstacles along George’s route, North Carolina, Mr. O’Malley surmises, represented a safer destination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
"It was an interesting childhood," Terry surmises, with a chuckle.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2025
She correctly surmises that he is a plumber.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
“I imagine there’s some sort of glitch or bug that’s blasting all your followers when you use similar captions,” they surmised.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
Slemrod surmised that by 2030, the number of man-first tax returns might be 3 to 4 percentage points lower, or about 85% of heterosexual married couples.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026
The 21-year-old art history major says she had never gambled on anything before, but as an Oscars obsessive she surmised that Timothée Chalamet’s “Marty Supreme” campaign was on shaky ground with traditional voters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
A consensus was quickly clear: "Please bring back the previous format," one person surmised on social media.
From BBC ● Nov. 26, 2025
I’ve surmised this scene, assembled it piece by piece over many years from the things I read, when it all began to come out.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
In fact, the time it took had many court watchers surmising that one of the justices must be writing a dissent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
I’m fairly confident in saying and surmising that his counsel at the time advised him against it and are probably somewhere saying “told you so.”
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2023
Engoron, surmising that Trump was referring to his clerk, called the comments a "blatant" violation of the gag order.
From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2023
Scientists started looking at hydrogen mixed with one other element, surmising that the chemical bonds might help compress the hydrogen atoms.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
I shall therefore content myself with surmising that the horses with which we may have to do throughout these remarks—be they school-horses, roadsters, or hunters—are at least sound, good-tempered, and properly trained.
From Ladies on Horseback Learning, Park-Riding, and Hunting, with Hints upon Costume, and Numerous Anecdotes by Nannie Lambert
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.
