surmise

1 of 2

noun

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

ˈsər-ˌmīz

: a thought or idea based on scanty evidence : conjecture

surmise

2 of 2

verb

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

surmised; surmising

transitive verb

: to form a notion of from scanty evidence : imagine, infer

Synonyms

Noun

• conjecture
• guess
• shot
• supposition

Verb

• assume
• conjecture
• daresay
• guess
• imagine
• presume
• speculate
• suppose
• suspect
• suspicion [chiefly dialect]

Examples of surmise in a Sentence

Noun

my surmise is that the couple's “good news” is the announcement that they are going to have a baby

Verb

We can only surmise what happened.

He must have surmised that I was not interested.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Like the extended music video surmises, Lopez’s search for love in all forms is born out of not feeling loved enough as a child. —Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024

But watching it last night, I was struck with a wild surmise about the characters’ potential origin. —Vulture, 22 Dec. 2023

Verb

Kitty surmises that her mother had a baby in Seoul that was not one of her sisters, and this sends her into investigative mode. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 13 Jan. 2025

The survey surmises that these efforts are due to concerns for an uptick in attrition if employees’ needs are not taken into account. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, allegation, charge, from Anglo-French, from feminine of surmis, past participle of surmettre to place on, suppose, accuse, from Medieval Latin supermittere, from Late Latin, to place on, from Latin super- + mittere to let go, send

Verb

Middle English, to allege, from surmise, noun

First Known Use

Noun

1569, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

surmise

1 of 2 verb

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

surmised; surmising

: to form an idea of based on very little evidence : guess

surmise

2 of 2 noun

sur·​mise sər-ˈmīz 

ˈsər-ˌmīz

: a thought or idea based on little evidence : conjecture