guess
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to try to give an answer or opinion when you do not have all the facts.
v.to form an opinion or give an answer about something when one does not have sufficient information to be certain.
Simple“I don't know how many people were there, but I would guess about fifty.”
In context“Economists can only guess at the long-term impact of the new policy until more data becomes available next quarter.”
UsageOften used with 'at' when the object is a specific value or measurement.
Synonyms - 02 A2 Elementary
v.you use this when you think something is probably true or when you are making a decision.
v.to suppose or believe something to be the case; frequently used as a pragmatic marker of hesitant agreement or a tentative decision.
Simple“I guess we should start heading home before it gets too dark.”
In context“I guess the meeting is over, seeing as everyone has already packed up their laptops and left the room.”
UsageCommonly used in the first person ('I guess') to introduce a statement.
Teacher's tipIn American English, 'I guess' is very common for expressing a likely truth; in British English, 'I suppose' is often preferred.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
v.to find the correct answer by chance or by thinking about it.
v.to succeed in discovering or identifying something correctly by conjecture.
Simple“You guessed my password on the first try.”
In context“She managed to guess the weight of the cake exactly, winning the top prize at the village fair.”
UsageOften used with 'right' or 'correctly'.
- 04 A2 Elementary
n.an answer or opinion that you give when you are not sure if you are right.
n.an estimate or conclusion formed without sufficient evidence or certain knowledge.
Simple“If I had to make a guess, I'd say the train will be late again.”
In context“His calculation was little more than an educated guess based on last year's sales figures rather than current market trends.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrase 'make a guess'.
Synonyms
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.