What does "guess" mean?

1. (to speculate) to try to give an answer or opinion when you do not have all the facts. 2. (to suppose or think) you use this when you think something is probably true or when you are making a decision. 3. (to find the right answer) to find the correct answer by chance or by thinking about it. 4. (an opinion without facts) an answer or opinion that you give when you are not sure if you are right.

How do you use "guess"?

Often used with 'at' when the object is a specific value or measurement. Commonly used in the first person ('I guess') to introduce a statement. Often used with 'right' or 'correctly'. Commonly used in the phrase 'make a guess'.

guess

v. · n.

US //ˈɡɛs// UK //ɡˈɛs// guess

1 to speculate (v.)
A1 Beginner

to try to give an answer or opinion when you do not have all the facts.

to form an opinion or give an answer about something when one does not have sufficient information to be certain.

Example

I don't know how many people were there, but I would guess about fifty.

Example

Economists can only guess at the long-term impact of the new policy until more data becomes available next quarter.

Usage

Often used with 'at' when the object is a specific value or measurement.
- know
- verify
2 to suppose or think (v.)
A2 Elementary Informal

you use this when you think something is probably true or when you are making a decision.

to suppose or believe something to be the case; frequently used as a pragmatic marker of hesitant agreement or a tentative decision.

Example

I guess we should start heading home before it gets too dark.

Example

I guess the meeting is over, seeing as everyone has already packed up their laptops and left the room.

Usage

Commonly used in the first person ('I guess') to introduce a statement.

Teacher's tip

In American English, 'I guess' is very common for expressing a likely truth; in British English, 'I suppose' is often preferred.

Show 2 more sensesShow fewer

3 to find the right answer (v.)
B1 Intermediate

to find the correct answer by chance or by thinking about it.

to succeed in discovering or identifying something correctly by conjecture.

Example

You guessed my password on the first try.

Example

She managed to guess the weight of the cake exactly, winning the top prize at the village fair.

Usage

Often used with 'right' or 'correctly'.
- solve
- identify
- miss
- misinterpret
4 an opinion without facts (n.)
A2 Elementary

an answer or opinion that you give when you are not sure if you are right.

an estimate or conclusion formed without sufficient evidence or certain knowledge.

Example

If I had to make a guess, I'd say the train will be late again.

Example

His calculation was little more than an educated guess based on last year's sales figures rather than current market trends.

Usage

Commonly used in the phrase 'make a guess'.
- fact
- certainty

Origin

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.

Word family

Verbguess
Nounguesswork

Idioms6 entries