guess

Definition of guess

6 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

verb

To reach a partly (or totally) unconfirmed conclusion; to engage in conjecture; to speculate.

“We can only guess at what was going through her mind.”
“She guessed that the delivery driver must have got stuck in traffic.”

See all 6 definitions

verb

To reach a partly (or totally) unconfirmed conclusion; to engage in conjecture; to speculate.

“We can only guess at what was going through her mind.”
“She guessed that the delivery driver must have got stuck in traffic.”
To solve by a correct conjecture; to conjecture rightly.

“He who guesses the riddle shall have the ring.”
“You guessed the right answer!”
“You will never guess what happened next.”
To suppose, to imagine (introducing a proposition of uncertain plausibility).

“That album is quite hard to find, but I guess you could try ordering it online.”
“Not all together; better far, I guess, / That we do make our entrance several ways.”
“But in known images of life I guess / The labour greater.”
“"Are you a member of the union?" "Sure." "Then you'll get your job, I guess. Have you any friends?"”
(colloquial)To think, conclude, or decide (without a connotation of uncertainty). Usually in first person: "I guess".

“"I guess you were right." "What did he say?" "He guesses you were right."”
“"I guess I'll go to bed."”
(obsolete)To hit upon or reproduce by memory.

“Tell me their words, as near as thou canst guess them.”

noun

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

“If you don't know the answer, take a guess.”
“"But I shall have eleven guesses," answered Ozma. "Surely I ought to guess one object in eleven correctly; and, if I do, I shall rescue one of the royal family and be safe myself. Then the rest of you may attempt it, and soon we shall free all those who are enslaved."”
“We are twelve billion light years from the edge / That's a guess”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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…

See full etymology

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.

Anagrams of guess

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GUSES 6 pts

Words you can make from guess

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Best play segs 5 points

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