What does "guess" mean?
A prediction about the outcome of something, typically made without factual evidence or support.
Guess
/ɡɛs/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A prediction about the outcome of something, typically made without factual evidence or support.
- Grammar: guess is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: conjecture, speculation, suppose, surmise.
- Useful contrasts: academic discipline research, actual conditions, actual evidence.
- Usage evidence: You can probably guess what happens though.
How to use "guess"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "guess" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "guess" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "guess" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "guess" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "guess" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "conjecture" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "guess", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A prediction about the outcome of something, typically made without factual evidence or support.
"If you don't know the answer, take a guess."
- 2 an estimate based on little or no information wordnet
- 3 a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence wordnet
Verb
- 1 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."
- 2 expect, believe, or suppose wordnet
- 3 To solve by a correct conjecture; to conjecture rightly.
"He who guesses the riddle shall have the ring."
- 4 guess correctly; solve by guessing wordnet
- 5 to suppose, to imagine (introducing a proposition of uncertain plausibility). US
"That album is quite hard to find, but I guess you could try ordering it online."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time) wordnet
- 7 To think, conclude, or decide (without a connotation of uncertainty). Usually in first person: "I guess". colloquial
""I guess you were right." "What did he say?" "He guesses you were right.""
- 8 put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation wordnet
- 9 To hit upon or reproduce by memory. obsolete
"Tell me their words, as near as thou canst guess them."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
academic discipline researchactual conditionsactual evidencebasic scientific concept
Example
"You can probably guess what happens though."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "guess"?
Common synonyms include: conjecture, speculation, suppose, surmise, account as, answer.
How do you use "guess" in a sentence?
You can probably guess what happens though.
How do you pronounce "guess"?
Pronounced /ɡɛs/.
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.