Word
guessing
Phoneticsguess·ing, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɡɛsɪŋ/
UK/ɡˈɛsɪŋ/
Definitions
01the act of making a guess
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the act of trying to give an answer or an opinion when you are not sure if you are right.
n. the process of making a conjecture or estimate without sufficient information for certainty.
“After a lot of guessing, we finally found the right key for the door.”
“The final figure was the result of educated guessing rather than precise calculation, as the primary data sources were incomplete.”
Synonyms
02making a guess now
A2 · Elementary
v. the form of the verb 'guess' used for actions happening now or for describing a process.
v. the present participle of 'guess', used in continuous tenses to indicate the ongoing act of conjecture.
“Stop guessing and just look at the map to see where we are.”
“The analysts were still guessing at the potential market impact when the official announcement rendered their speculations moot.”
Usage
Used with the verb 'to be' to form continuous tenses.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English gessyng, gessynge, equivalent to guess + -ing.
From Middle English gessyng, equivalent to guess + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/guessing