guess (ɡɛs
)
Definitions
verb (when tr, may take a clause as object)
- when intr, 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 mainly US Canadian to believe, think, or suppose (something) ⇒
I guess I'll go now
- See keep a person guessing
noun
- an estimate or conclusion arrived at by guessing ⇒
a bad guess
- the act of guessing
- See anyone's guess
Alternative Forms
ˈguessable adjective ˈguesser noun ˈguessingly adverbWord Origin
C13: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Swedish gissa, Old Danish gitse, Middle Dutch gissen; see getSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
estimate,
predict,
work out,
speculate,
fathom,
conjecture,
postulate,
surmise,
hazard a guess
hypothesize,
=
estimate,
reckoning,
speculation,
judgment,
hypothesis,
conjecture,
surmise,
shot in the dark,
ballpark figure,
Quotations
"The shrewd guess, the fertile hypothesis, the courageous leap to a tentative conclusion - these are the most valuable coin of the thinker at work"
"I never guess. It is a shocking habit - destructive to the logical faculty"
Translations
- British English:
guess
A guess is an attempt to give an answer or provide an opinion when you do not know if it is true.If you don't know, just have a guess.ɡɛs NOUN If you don't know, just have a guess.
- Spanish:
suposición
nf
- French:
hypothèse
nf
- German:
Vermutung
nf
- Chinese: 猜测 n
- Arabic: تَخْمين n
- Portuguese: suposição nf
- Russian: догадка nf
- Croatian: nadađanje nnt
- Czech: odhad nm
- Danish: gæt nnt
- Dutch: gissing nf
- Finnish: arvaus n
- Greek: εικασία nf
- Italian: supposizione nf
- Japanese: 推測 n
- Korean: 추측 n
- Norwegian: gjetning nm
- Polish: przypuszczenie nnt
- Brazilian Portuguese: suposição nf
- European Spanish:
suposición
nf
- Swedish: gissning nutr
- Thai: การคาดคะเน n
- Turkish: tahmin n
- Vietnamese: ước đoán n
- British English:
guess
If you guess something, you give an answer or provide an opinion when you do not know if it is true.She guessed that he was about 40 years old.ɡɛs VERB She guessed that he was about 40 years old.
- Spanish:
adivinar
v
- French:
deviner
v
- German:
schätzen
v
- Chinese: 猜测 v
- Arabic: يُخمِن v
- Portuguese: adivinhar v
- Russian: догадываться v
- Croatian: nagađati v
- Czech: odhadnout v odhadovat
- Danish: gætte v
- Dutch: raden v
- Finnish: arvata v
- Greek: μαντεύω v
- Italian: indovinare v
- Japanese: 推測する v
- Korean: 추측하다 v
- Norwegian: gjette v
- Polish: domyślić się v domyślać się
- Brazilian Portuguese: adivinhar v
- European Spanish:
adivinar
v
- Swedish: gissa v
- Thai: คาดคะเน v
- Turkish: tahmin etmek v
- Vietnamese: đoán v
Usage examples
She was trying to get the feel of - well, Australians, I guess.
, YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)We have no opinion on tights, we just I guess he's [coach Andy Reid] trying to make a point.
Maxim (2005)But we can certainly make an educated guess as far as Dickson and Dume are concerned.
Irish Times (2002)Quite what the McCoist shenanigans will do for'The Premiership ' is anyone's guess.
Glasgow Herald (2001)When Teresa asked him again what he saw he would no longer guess but remember.
, THE COLOUR OF HEAVEN (2003)