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guess
[ ges ]
verb (used with object)
- to arrive at or commit oneself to an opinion about (something) without having sufficient evidence to support the opinion fully:
to guess a person's weight.
Synonyms: hazard
- to estimate or conjecture about correctly:
to guess what a word means.
- to think, believe, or suppose:
I guess I can get there in time.
Antonyms: know
verb (used without object)
- to form an estimate or conjecture (often followed by at or about ):
We guessed at the weight of the package.
- to estimate or conjecture correctly.
noun
- an opinion that one reaches or to which one commits oneself on the basis of probability alone or in the absence of any evidence whatever.
Synonyms: supposition
- the act of forming such an opinion:
to take a guess at someone's weight.
guess
/ ɡɛs /
verb
- whenintr, often foll by at or about to form or express an uncertain estimate or conclusion (about something), based on insufficient information
guess what we're having for dinner
- to arrive at a correct estimate of (something) by guessing
he guessed my age
- informal.to believe, think, or suppose (something)
I guess I'll go now
- keep a person guessingto let a person remain in a state of uncertainty
noun
- an estimate or conclusion arrived at by guessing
a bad guess
- the act of guessing
- anyone's guesssomething difficult to predict
Derived Forms
- ˈguessingly, adverb
- ˈguesser, noun
- ˈguessable, adjective
Other Words From
- guess·a·ble adjective
- guess·er noun
- guess·ing·ly adverb
- pre·guess noun verb
- un·guess·a·ble adjective
- un·guessed adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of guess1
Idioms and Phrases
- by guess and by gosh, Northern U.S. using a combination of guesswork and reliance on luck; hit or miss. Also by guess and by golly.
More idioms and phrases containing guess
see anyone's guess ; educated guess ; have another guess coming ; your guess is as good as mine .Synonym Study
Example Sentences
My guess is that a lot of people who have previously had SARS-CoV-2 are probably still protected in part, or not as protected.
You had to assume that the mystery word was selected randomly from this word list, which was also the list your guesses had to be chosen from.
Right now, researchers say, their best guess is that vaccines will reduce transmission but may not prevent it entirely.
After each of your guesses, you are told which letters of your guess are also in the mystery word and whether any of the letters are in the correct position.
With these competing priorities, some solvers reasoned that the answer should be right in the middle, with a guess of 50.
Haha, what a sad thing to be great at, but yeah, I guess I am.
And then I got on a plane, and guess what was playing: I Never Sang for My Father.
As Randy wrote, “I guess this speaks to the church not really having a place for gay people so getting married is still implicit.”
I guess we know how Bacchus kept his title as the god of wine and intoxication.
“I guess it was their first incident where they lose a plane,” said Dobersberger, the travel agent.
Kind of a reception-room in there—guess I know a reception-room from a hole in the wall.
It would be a modest guess that Accadian culture implied a growth of at least ten thousand years.
Since that he has made his almanacs without weatherwise sayings, leaving every man to guess for himself.
Squinty started to go back the way he had come, but I guess you can imagine what happened.
"I guess that is straight enough for Guitar to believe, instead of that upstart lieutenant," said Harry.
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Related Words
More About Guess
What is a basic definition of guess?
Guess means to attempt to provide an answer to something without knowing with certainty that it is correct. When you guess in this way, you don’t have enough information to know for sure. Guess is also a noun that refers to the answer that you give in such a situation. Guess also means to believe or suppose. Guess has a few other senses as a noun and a verb and is used in several idioms.
When you guess, it means you’re trying to provide the right answer even though you don’t have enough information to know what it is.
Real-life examples: People guess things because they don’t know all the details or because there is not enough information available. People often guess what the weather will be like, or what the future may hold, or what the right answer is to a question on a test.
Used in a sentence: I had no clue what her favorite color was so I guessed that it was red.
Guess is also commonly used as a noun to refer to the answer arrived at by a person who is guessing. A guess usually relies on luck or hope because a person doesn’t have enough information.
Used in a sentence: I thought my prediction had a chance to come true, but my guess turned out to be wrong.
As a verb, guess is also used as a synonym for words like think, believe, and suppose—it can mean to feel that something might be possible, doable, or feasible.
Used in a sentence: I guess I can make it to the bank before it closes.
Where does guess come from?
The first records of the word guess come from the early 1300s. It comes from the Middle English gessen and may be Scandanavian in origin. The noun sense of guess comes from the Middle English gesse, which is based on the verb.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to guess?
- guessable (adjective)
- guesser (noun)
What are some synonyms for guess?
What are some words that share a root or word element with guess?
What are some words that often get used in discussing guess?
How is guess used in real life?
Guess is used in the context of someone trying to come up with a right answer when they aren’t sure about something.
I asked my students how old they think I am and one class guessed 24-28. Bless them.
— Howie Hua (@howie_hua) November 20, 2020
listen I don’t know why I keep singing the scooby doo theme song ok. My best guess is I’m about to solve a mystery
— Sydnee Warren🕴🏻 (@SydneeW1) November 23, 2020
We also enjoyed playing a game of 'Guess the Coronation Street character' with @juliagoulding (aka Shona) in the Platts house. Loved this, definitely a game #coronationstreet should bring out! #Corrie60 pic.twitter.com/3sagLKQI1N
— Thomas A Cliffe (@cliffesathome) December 14, 2020
Try using guess!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of guess?
A. believe
B. think
C. suppose
D. know
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.
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