speculateverb [ I ]
uk/ˈspek.jə.leɪt/us/ˈspek.jə.leɪt/speculate verb [ I ] (GUESS)
C2 to guess possible answers to a question when you do not have enough information to be certain:
I don't know why she did it - I'm just speculating.
A spokesperson declined to speculate on the cause of the train crash.
Journalists are speculating about whether interest rates will be cut.
[ + that ] The newspapers have speculated that they will get married next year.
More examples
- It's useless to speculate without more information.
- Royal-watchers have once again been speculating on the health of the princess.
- Scientists have speculated about the possibility of parallel universes.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Guessing, supposing and suspecting
- approximate
- as much idiom
- call
- conjecture
- consider
- deem
- divine
- fall
- hypothesize
- jump
- jump to conclusions idiom
- mark
- mark sb down as sth
- misjudge
- pluck
- presume
- smell
- surmise
- think
- think of sth/sb
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speculate verb [ I ] (TRADE)
to buy and sell in the hope that the value of what you buy will increase and that it can then be sold at a higher price in order to make a profit:
He made his money speculating on the London gold and silver markets.
The company has been speculating in property for years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Investing money
- backer
- backing
- capitalize
- deposit
- endow
- financial adviser
- invest
- investment
- inward
- mature
- microfinance
- pay
- plough
- plough sth into sth
- protect
- pump sth into sth
- punt on sth
- put sth up
- sink
- sink sth into sth
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