guess

Meaning

Verb

1. To reach a partly (or totally) unconfirmed conclusion; to engage in conjecture; to speculate.
2. To solve by a correct conjecture; to conjecture rightly.
3. to suppose, to imagine (introducing a proposition of uncertain plausibility).
4. (colloquial) To think, conclude, or decide (without a connotation of uncertainty). Usually in first person: "I guess".
5. (obsolete) To hit upon or reproduce by memory.

Noun

A prediction about the outcome of something, typically made without factual evidence or support.

Synonyms

conjecture

surmise

suppose

estimate

presume

supposition

speculate

assume

infer

think

🤔

imagine

speculation

reckon

hypothesis

guesswork

approximate

anticipate

predict

suspect

assumption

believe

judge

🧑‍⚖️

opine

calculate

expect

say

🗣️

shot

theory

divine

estimation

figure

forecast

foretell

imagination

conclude

sense

deem

opinion

understand

figure out

aim

approximation

bet

consider

dead reckoning

deduce

fancy

foresee

gauge

guessing

guesstimate

hazard

hypothesize

inference

posit

prediction

presumption

pretend

question

❓

realise

realize

riddle

rough estimate

solve

suggest

thought

💭

trace

valuation

venture

wonder

work out

make a guess

surmisal

mark

materials

maybe

measure

methinks

evaluate

doubt

perceive

pick

⛏️

play

ask questions

postulate

disclose

be attentive

premiss

presage

discern

express an opinion

reckon on

probably

problem

prognostication

projection

prophesy

query

second-guess

tell fortunes

get something

direction

raden

sympathise with

deduction

decipher

decide

guess correctly

consideration

conceive

assume the profit

support

belief

augur

ask

surmising

arrange

sympathize with

take for

theorem

appraise

anticipation

compute roughly

guess blindly

try

uncertainty

aim at

coniecture

vermoeden

view

visualize

hunch

hypothecate

hit

hypothesise

to be pretty sure

if

hint

gamble

feel

deduce by guess

ingredients

insight

interpret

intuit

intuition

extrapolate

judgement

judgment

know

make a conjecture

manage

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɡɛs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: gessen

Inherited from Middle English: gesse

Cognate with Danish: gisne

Cognate with Norwegian: gissa

Cognate with Swedish: gissa

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: gisje

Cognate with Dutch: gissen

Cognate with Low German: gissen

Cognate with Dutch: gis

Cognate with Icelandic: giska

Cognate with Russian: гада́ть

Cognate with Albanian: gjëzë

In summary

From Middle English gessen (verb) and Middle English gesse (noun), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Danish getse, gitse, getsa (“to guess”), from Old Norse *getsa, *gitsa, from Proto-Germanic *gitisōną (“to guess”), from Proto-Germanic *getaną (“to get”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to take, seize”). Cognate with Danish gisne (“to guess”), Norwegian gissa, gjette (“to guess”), Swedish gissa (“to guess”), Saterland Frisian gisje (“to guess”), Dutch gissen (“to guess”), Low German gissen (“to guess”), Dutch gis (“a guess”). Related also to Icelandic giska ("to guess"; from Proto-Germanic *gitiskōną). Compare also Russian гада́ть (gadátʹ, “to conjecture, guess, divine”), Albanian gjëzë (“riddle”) from gjej (“find, recover, obtain”). More at get.