Word
speculating
Phoneticsspec·u·lat·ing
US/ˈspɛkjəˌɫeɪtɪŋ/
UK/spˈɛkjʊlˌeɪtɪŋ/
Definition
v. to guess about something without having all the facts. You use this when you are thinking about what might happen or why something is true.
v. to form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence. Often involves making assumptions about future events or hidden causes.
Examples
“People are speculating about who will win the election.”
“Financial analysts are speculating that the central bank will lower interest rates by the end of the quarter.”
“Without access to the internal documents, the press can only continue speculating on the motives behind the CEO's sudden and unexpected resignation.”
Examples
simple
“People are speculating about who will win the election.”
contextual
“Financial analysts are speculating that the central bank will lower interest rates by the end of the quarter.”
complex
“Without access to the internal documents, the press can only continue speculating on the motives behind the CEO's sudden and unexpected resignation.”
Usage
Often followed by the prepositions 'about', 'on', or 'that'.
Pitfall
They are speculating the reason.
They are speculating about the reason.
When used to mean guessing, the verb is usually intransitive and requires a preposition like 'about' or 'on' before the noun.
Real-World Examples
“These developments are worrisome enough that scientists start speculating about a major eruption’s impacts.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/speculating