as in guessing
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
I speculate that someone has been using this cabin as a trysting place
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Recent Examples of speculating
Unsubstantiated rumors have since spread across social media, speculating on the reason for Ullmark’s absence.
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Ben Church, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Locals and real estate insiders are speculating about possible changes, including a major redevelopment, but nothing official has been announced.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Throughout training camp, and even into the regular season, there were many speculating that the Browns weren’t giving Sanders a fair shot at earning the right to start under center, and fingers started to point at the head coach.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Still, fans began speculating that the group included fellow celebrity moms Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore and Meghan Trainor, all of whom Tisdale had spent significant time with before their last documented outing together in December 2024, per Page Six.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 6 Jan. 2026
Here's what Tisdale French had to say about leaving, what fans are speculating, and how her rep has responded to the situation.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026
Investors were speculating the work could boost business for oil services companies, with shares of Slb up more than 10%, Halliburton gained 9%, while Baker Hughes added 4% in trading Monday.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 5 Jan. 2026
On Friday morning, several relatives posted on Facebook and Instagram, asking the public to stop speculating about Cannon’s condition.
—Elissa Jorgensen, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
Which, of course, means people are speculating.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for speculating
Verb
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Instead of guessing what to try first, Basin set me up for success from the start and offered me an overview of each treatment and the benefit of a thermotherapy circuit.—
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Also, there’s value in keeping people guessing.—
Verb
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In estimating that online sales would result in overall annual profits of about $30-90 million, the Legislative Services Agency is assuming there would be an accompanying decrease in retail lottery sales.—
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Launching a military operation and then assuming responsibility for governance shifts Washington toward a closed, coercive model of power – one that relies on force to establish authority and is prohibitively costly to sustain over time.—
Verb
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Coupled with the sight of her parents moving Christmas presents, blankets and their dog into the family car, Goodnight and her younger brother began suspecting the worst.—
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Officials said the rest of the group exited the water shortly afterward, suspecting there had been a shark attack in their group.—
Verb
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Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.—
Verb
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The makeup of the roster and the team's second-highest preseason ranking in Wieber's seven seasons has her thinking the group could create a special season.—
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As oblivion approached, with all its attendant possibilities of panic or bitterness, Bowie summoned the generosity to evoke the ordeal of one prematurely dying man while also thinking and creating at the no less vast scale of life itself.—
Cite this Entry
“Speculating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speculating. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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