second-guess

verb

sec·​ond-guess ˌse-kᵊŋ-ˈges 

-kən(d)-

second-guessed; second-guessing; second-guesses

transitive verb

1

: to criticize or question actions or decisions of (someone) often after the results of those actions or decisions are known

meet almost every morning and, over coffee, second-guess the local coach

—Bruce Newman

also : to engage in such criticism of (an action or decision)

second-guess the general's strategy

2

: to seek to anticipate or predict

lived royally by his ability to second-guess the stock market

—Time

second-guesser noun

Examples of second-guess in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No other team in the playoff has been more second-guessed than the Buckeyes after their regular season ended with a stunning home loss to rival Michigan, which was a 20-point underdog. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 19 Dec. 2024

However, that doesn’t mean people can’t try to second-guess some aspects of the likely functionality. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

However, this same discretion, the court added, shields the agency's decisions from being second-guessed by the courts​. —Jesus Mesa, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

This system, which uses hundreds of thousands of details to classify targets as hostile, is too sophisticated to second-guess when decisions must be made in minutes or seconds. —Sebastian Elbaum, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1941, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

second-guess

verb

sec·​ond-guess

ˌsek-ᵊŋ-ˈges,

-ən-

1

: to question or criticize actions or decisions of (someone) often after the results of those actions or decisions are known

2

: predict

second-guesser noun