Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense surmises, present participle surmising, past tense, past participle surmised
1. verb
If you surmise that something is true, you guess it from the available evidence, although you do not know for certain.
[formal]
There's so little to go on, we can only surmise what happened. [VERB wh]
He surmised that he had discovered one of the illegal streets. [VERB that]
Synonyms: guess, suppose, imagine, presume More Synonyms of surmise
2. variable noun
If you say that a particular conclusion is surmise, you mean that it is a guess based on the available evidence and you do not know for certain that it is true.
[formal]
It is mere surmise that Bosch had Brant's poem in mind when doing this painting.
His surmise proved correct.
Synonyms: guess, speculation, assumption, thought More Synonyms of surmise
surmise in British English
verb (sɜːˈmaɪz)
1. (when tr, may take a clause as object)
to infer (something) from incomplete or uncertain evidence
noun (sɜːˈmaɪz, ˈsɜːmaɪz)
2.
an idea inferred from inconclusive evidence
Also (rare): surmisal
Derived forms
surmisable (surˈmisable)
adjective
surmiser (surˈmiser)
noun
Word origin
C15: from Old French, from surmettre to accuse, from Latin supermittere to throw over, from super- + mittere to send
surmise in American English
(sərˈmaɪz; for n., also ˈsɜrˌmaɪz)
noun
1.
an idea or opinion formed from evidence that is neither positive nor conclusive; conjecture; guess
2.
the act or process of surmising; conjecture in general
verb transitive, verb intransitiveWord forms: surˈmised or surˈmising
3.
to imagine or infer (something) without conclusive evidence; conjecture; guess
SIMILAR WORDS: guess
Word origin
ME surmyse < OFr surmise, accusation, fem. of surmis, pp. of surmettre, lit., to put upon, hence to accuse < sur- (see sur-1) + mettre, to put < L mittere, to send (see mission)
Examples of 'surmise' in a sentence
surmise
We can surmise that one of his commanders must have stumbled upon our plan.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
One can only surmise that it is something wayward.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
And they correctly surmise that a President with other spending priorities seeks to take it away.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One can surmise their calculations.
Grenville, J. A. S. The Collins History of the World in the 20th Century (1994)
That a long ship has been overturned on the moor is as much as we may surmise of a beehive cell thrown up along the Tyne.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
He is, the staff quickly surmise, a pain in the neck.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It also, one might surmise, selects for suspicion.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
One can only surmise at the extent of their co-operation from the odd anecdote, and from influences scholars have detected in the texts themselves.
Adam Sisman The Friendship: Wordsworth and Coleridge (2006)
In other languages
surmise
British English: surmise VERB
If you surmise that something is true, you guess it from the available evidence, although you do not know for certain.
There's so little to go on, we can only surmise what happened.
American English: surmise
Brazilian Portuguese: conjeturar
Chinese: 猜测
European Spanish: suponer
French: conjecturer
German: vermuten
Italian: presumere
Japanese: 推測する
Korean: 추측하다
European Portuguese: conjeturar
Latin American Spanish: suponer
British English: surmise NOUN
If you say that a particular conclusion is surmise, you mean that it is a guess based on the available evidence and you do not know for certain that it is true.
It is mere surmise that the painter had his poem in mind when doing this painting.
American English: surmise
Brazilian Portuguese: suposição
Chinese: 猜测
European Spanish: suposición
French: conjecture
German: Vermutung
Italian: supposizione
Japanese: 推測
Korean: 추측
European Portuguese: suposição
Latin American Spanish: suposición
(verb)
Definition
to guess (something) from incomplete or uncertain evidence
She surmised that they had discovered one of the illegal streets.
Synonyms
guess
I can only guess what it cost her to tell you the truth.
suppose
The problem was more complex than he supposed.
imagine
I imagine you're referring to me.
presume
I presume you're here on business.
consider
suspect
I suspect they were right.
conclude
We concluded that he was telling the truth.
fancy
She fancied he was trying to hide a smile.
speculate
The reader can speculate about what will happen next.
infer
I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
deduce
She hoped he hadn't deduced the reason for her visit.
come to the conclusion
conjecture
This may or may not be true; we are all conjecturing here.
opine (formal)
`He's probably just tired,' she opined.
hazard a guess
I would hazard a guess that they'll do fairly well.
(noun)
Definition
a conclusion based on incomplete or uncertain evidence
Her surmise proved correct.
Synonyms
guess
He took her pulse and made a guess at her blood pressure.
speculation
I had published my speculations about the future of the universe.
assumption
They are wrong in their assumption that we are all alike.
thought
It is my thought that the situation will be resolved.
idea
I had an idea that he joined the army later.
conclusion
We came to the conclusion that it was too difficult to combine the two techniques.
notion
suspicion
I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going to succeed.
hypothesis
Different hypotheses have been put forward.
deduction
It was a pretty astute deduction.
inference
There were two inferences to be drawn from her letter.
presumption
the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proved guilty
conjecture
Your assertion is merely a conjecture, not a fact.
supposition
There's a popular supposition that we're publicly funded.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of assumption
Definition
something that is taken for granted
They are wrong in their assumption that we are all alike.
Synonyms
presumption,
theory,
opinion,
belief,
guess,
expectation,
fancy,
suspicion,
premise,
acceptance,
hypothesis,
anticipation,
inference,
conjecture,
surmise,
supposition,
presupposition,
premise,
postulation
in the sense of conclude
Definition
to decide by reasoning
We concluded that he was telling the truth.
Synonyms
decide,
judge,
establish,
suppose,
determine,
assume,
gather,
reckon (informal),
work out,
infer,
deduce,
surmise
in the sense of conclusion
Definition
a final decision, opinion, or judgment based on reasoning
We came to the conclusion that it was too difficult to combine the two techniques.
Synonyms
decision,
agreement,
opinion,
settlement,
resolution,
conviction,
verdict,
judgment,
deduction,
inference
Nearby words of
surmise
surge
surgery
surly
surmise
surmount
surname
surpass
Synonyms of 'surmise'
surmise
Explore 'surmise' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of conjecture
Definition
to form (an opinion or conclusion) from incomplete evidence
This may or may not be true; we are all conjecturing here.
Synonyms
guess,
speculate,
surmise,
theorize,
suppose,
imagine,
assume,
fancy,
infer,
hypothesize,
suspect
in the sense of conjecture
Definition
a guess
Your assertion is merely a conjecture, not a fact.
Synonyms
guess,
theory,
fancy,
notion,
speculation,
assumption,
hypothesis,
inference,
presumption,
surmise,
theorizing,
guesswork,
supposition,
shot in the dark,
guesstimate (informal)
in the sense of deduce
Definition
to reach (a conclusion) by reasoning from evidence
She hoped he hadn't deduced the reason for her visit.
Synonyms
work out,
reason,
understand,
gather,
conclude,
derive,
infer,
glean,
extrapolate
in the sense of deduction
Definition
a conclusion reached by this process
It was a pretty astute deduction.
Synonyms
conclusion,
finding,
verdict,
judgment,
assumption,
inference,
corollary
in the sense of fancy
Definition
to think or suppose
She fancied he was trying to hide a smile.
Synonyms
suppose,
think,
believe,
imagine,
guess (informal),
reckon,
conceive,
infer,
conjecture,
surmise,
think likely,
be inclined to think
in the sense of hazard a guess
Definition
to make a guess
I would hazard a guess that they'll do fairly well.
Synonyms
guess,
conjecture,
suppose,
speculate,
presume,
take a guess
in the sense of hypothesis
Definition
a suggested explanation for a group of facts, accepted either as a basis for further verification or as likely to be true
Different hypotheses have been put forward.
Synonyms
theory,
premise,
proposition,
assumption,
thesis,
postulate,
supposition,
premise
in the sense of idea
Definition
a vague notion
I had an idea that he joined the army later.
Synonyms
suspicion,
guess,
impression,
notion,
hunch,
conjecture,
gut feeling (informal),
supposition
in the sense of imagine
Definition
to think, believe, or guess
I imagine you're referring to me.
Synonyms
believe,
think,
suppose,
assume,
suspect,
gather,
guess (informal),
realize,
take it,
reckon (informal),
fancy,
deem,
speculate,
presume,
take for granted,
infer,
deduce,
apprehend,
conjecture,
surmise
in the sense of infer
Definition
to conclude by reasoning from evidence
I inferred from what she said that you have not been well.
Synonyms
deduce,
understand,
gather,
conclude,
derive,
presume,
conjecture,
surmise,
read between the lines,
put two and two together
Additional synonyms
in the sense of inference
Definition
an inferred conclusion or deduction
There were two inferences to be drawn from her letter.
Synonyms
deduction,
conclusion,
assumption,
reading,
consequence,
presumption,
conjecture,
surmise,
corollary,
illation (rare)
in the sense of opine
Definition
to hold or express an opinion
`He's probably just tired,' she opined.
Synonyms
suggest,
say,
think,
believe,
judge,
suppose,
declare,
conclude,
venture,
volunteer,
imply,
intimate,
presume,
conjecture,
surmise,
ween (poetic),
give as your opinion
in the sense of presume
Definition
to take (something) for granted
I presume you're here on business.
Synonyms
believe,
think,
suppose,
assume,
guess (informal),
take it,
take for granted,
infer,
conjecture,
postulate (formal),
surmise,
posit,
presuppose
in the sense of presumption
Definition
a belief or assumption based on reasonable evidence
the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proved guilty
Synonyms
assumption,
opinion,
belief,
guess,
hypothesis,
anticipation,
conjecture,
surmise,
supposition,
presupposition,
premise
in the sense of speculate
Definition
to form opinions about something, esp. its future consequences, based on the information available
The reader can speculate about what will happen next.
Synonyms
conjecture,
consider,
wonder,
guess,
suppose,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
meditate,
surmise,
theorize,
hypothesize,
cogitate
in the sense of speculation
I had published my speculations about the future of the universe.
Synonyms
theory,
opinion,
hypothesis,
conjecture,
guess,
consideration,
deliberation,
contemplation,
surmise,
guesswork,
supposition
in the sense of suppose
Definition
to presume (something) to be true without certain knowledge
The problem was more complex than he supposed.
Synonyms
think,
imagine,
expect,
judge,
assume,
guess (informal),
calculate (US, dialect),
presume,
take for granted,
infer,
conjecture,
surmise,
dare say,
opine (formal),
presuppose,
take as read
in the sense of supposition
Definition
an idea or a statement believed or assumed to be true
There's a popular supposition that we're publicly funded.
Synonyms
belief,
idea,
notion,
view,
theory,
speculation,
assumption,
hypothesis,
presumption,
conjecture,
postulate,
surmise,
guesswork,
guess
in the sense of suspect
Definition
to believe (something) to be the case
I suspect they were right.
Synonyms
believe,
feel,
guess,
consider,
suppose,
conclude,
fancy,
speculate,
conjecture,
surmise,
hazard a guess,
have a sneaking suspicion,
think probable
in the sense of suspicion
Definition
the act or an instance of suspecting
I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going to succeed.
Synonyms
idea,
notion,
hunch,
guess,
impression,
conjecture,
surmise,
gut feeling (informal),
supposition
Additional synonyms
in the sense of thought
Definition
a concept or idea
It is my thought that the situation will be resolved.