Guess

/ɡɛs/

Meaning & Definition

noun

An estimate or opinion made without sufficient information; a conjecture.

My guess is that the meeting will last an hour.

A choice or answer made without certainty.

Take a guess at how many candies are in the jar.

verb

To form an opinion or make a statement about something without sufficient information or evidence; to estimate or conjecture.

I guess it will rain tomorrow based on the dark clouds.

To arrive at an answer or opinion by intuition or a hunch rather than by knowledge.

Can you guess how many people will attend the event?

To make a choice or decision when you are not sure about the outcome.

I had to guess the answer on the test because I didn't know it.

Middle English 'gessen', from Old Norse 'gíska', which means 'to mention' or 'to propose'.

a good guess

An estimation that is correct or close to correct.

take a guess

To make an estimation or judgment based on limited information.

best guess

The most informed opinion or estimation one can provide.

guess what

A phrase used to introduce surprising or interesting information.

estimate

A rough calculation or judgment of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something.

conjecture

An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.

speculation

The forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

To make a wild guess

I just took a wild guess and said 100.

Just a guess

That was just a guess, I had no real idea.