GUESS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does guess mean? 

• GUESS (noun)
  The noun GUESS has 2 senses:

1. a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

2. an estimate based on little or no information

  Familiarity information: GUESS used as a noun is rare.

• GUESS (verb)
  The verb GUESS has 4 senses:

1. expect, believe, or suppose

2. put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation

3. judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)

4. guess correctly; solve by guessing

  Familiarity information: GUESS used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• GUESS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

conjecture; guess; hypothesis; speculation; supposition; surmisal; surmise

Hypernyms ("guess" is a kind of...):

opinion; view (a message expressing a belief about something; the expression of a belief that is held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "guess"):

divination (successful conjecture by unusual insight or good luck)

Derivation:

guess (expect, believe, or suppose)

guess (judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time))

guess (put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An estimate based on little or no information

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

dead reckoning; guess; guessing; guesswork; shot

Hypernyms ("guess" is a kind of...):

approximation; estimate; estimation; idea (an approximate calculation of quantity or degree or worth)

Derivation:

guess (expect, believe, or suppose)

guess (put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation)

• GUESS (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they guess    ... he / she / it guesses   
Past simple: guessed   
Past participle: guessed   
-ing form: guessing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Expect, believe, or suppose

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

guess; imagine; opine; reckon; suppose; think

Context example:

I guess she is angry at me for standing her up

Hypernyms (to "guess" is one way to...):

anticipate; expect (regard something as probable or likely)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "guess"):

suspect (hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sentence example:

They guess that there was a traffic accident

Derivation:

guess (an estimate based on little or no information)

guess (a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence)

guesser (a person who guesses)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

guess; hazard; pretend; venture

Context example:

I cannot pretend to say that you are wrong

Hypernyms (to "guess" is one way to...):

speculate (talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "guess"):

anticipate; call; forebode; foretell; predict; prognosticate; promise (make a prediction about; tell in advance)

surmise; suspect (imagine to be the case or true or probable)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

guess (an estimate based on little or no information)

guess (a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence)

guesser (a person who guesses)

guessing (an estimate based on little or no information)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

approximate; estimate; gauge; guess; judge

Context example:

I estimate this chicken to weigh three pounds

Hypernyms (to "guess" is one way to...):

calculate; cipher; compute; cypher; figure; reckon; work out (make a mathematical calculation or computation)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "guess"):

quantise; quantize (approximate (a signal varying continuously in amplitude) by one whose amplitude is restricted to a prescribed set of discrete values)

misgauge (gauge something incorrectly or improperly)

place; put; set (estimate)

give (estimate the duration or outcome of something)

lowball; underestimate (make a deliberately low estimate)

assess (estimate the value of (property) for taxation)

make (calculate as being)

count; reckon (take account of)

truncate (approximate by ignoring all terms beyond a chosen one)

guesstimate (estimate based on a calculation)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

guess (a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence)

guesser (a person who guesses)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Guess correctly; solve by guessing

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

guess; infer

Context example:

He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize

Hypernyms (to "guess" is one way to...):

figure out; lick; puzzle out; solve; work; work out (find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "guess"):

tell (discern or comprehend)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Derivation:

guesser (a person who guesses)

 Context examples 

Mina's determination not to take any part in the discussion set me thinking; and as I could not argue the matter with her, I could only guess.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

“I might have guessed an Englishman would know. I learned it myself in English ships.”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

But how could you guess what the motive was?

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"I guess you're right, Madge," he said.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

You don't know, you can't guess how bad it is!

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Who could have guessed that it was the prelude to our supreme disaster?

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“My good soul,” said Mr. Peggotty, shaking his head, “you doen't know what a long voyage, and what a hard life 'tis!” “Yes, I do, Dan'l! I can guess!” cried Mrs. Gummidge.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

"I guess you can come an' get me any time," he mumbled.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

“I guess the very best case I can make for myself is the absolute naked truth.”

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They guessed that these double-knockout mice would have the same or worse heart problems as the mice without GR.

(Healthy hearts need two proteins working together, National Institutes of Health)