surmise
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a matter of conjecture.
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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
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surmisesimple
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surmisessimple
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have surmisedperfect
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has surmisedperfect
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am surmisingprogressive
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are surmisingprogressive
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is surmisingprogressive
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have been surmisingperfect progressive
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has been surmisingperfect progressive
Past
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surmisedsimple
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had surmisedperfect
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was surmisingprogressive
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were surmisingprogressive
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
But as anyone who has seen her in “Parks and Recreation” or other roles would surmise, Plaza says, “I have cat-like tendencies and relate more to cats.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 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
From what we can surmise, the baby is a device to showcase the nobility of the show’s male characters or lack thereof.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
As my colleague Paul Roberts reported, experts in the retail sector surmise that North Face’s decision was a consequence of local challenges and the larger problems in the outdoor clothing sector.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024
Bechareh, she probably constructs tales as a way of mourning the loss of her family, was the collective surmise of most of the wives.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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
"There's lots of good things about these platforms, but there's just too much bad stuff," he surmises.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
The author surmises that Goebbels discovered this and devised a way to get rid of her—sending Ruth out of Germany while simultaneously helping Japan establish a spy network in Hawaii.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
He surmises: Each of us was probably going to tweet about it or post the moment on Facebook.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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
Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at Taipei's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, surmised Beijing might be trying to "weaken public support" for Taiwan's plans to increase its defence spending.
From Barron's ● Mar. 9, 2026
He surmised that "Epstein knew a lot about taxes".
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
A senior administration official said Lavrov’s comments confirm what the administration already surmised: Russia is still not willing to make a deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
“We must be very close to the river,” Polly surmised.
From "Copper Sun" by Sharon M. Draper
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
Some may see a metaphorical significance in "Seven Pounds" being a December release, perhaps surmising that winter isn't the star's season.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2022
He looked about him cautiously as he walked along, surmising that the vicinity was being watched by spies of the Duke.
From The Gray Phantom's Return by Landon, Herman
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.
