Meaning & use
guess
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To give an answer or opinion without being sure it is right.
Grammar: Can take an object or a clause: guess the answer; guess that it's late.
Patterns
- guess something
- guess that something
- guess at something
Can you guess how old she is?
I guessed the password on my third try.
Nobody could guess where the cat had hidden.
verbtransitiveinformal
To think that something is probably true or likely.
Grammar: Followed by a clause, often without that: I guess you're right.
Patterns
- I guess so
- I guess (that) something
I guess we should leave before it rains.
She's late, so I guess the bus broke down.
"Are you coming?" "I guess so."
nouncountable
An opinion or estimate you give without knowing for sure.
Grammar: Takes a/an: a good guess; make a guess.
Patterns
- a guess at something
- make a guess
My guess is that the shop closes at six.
That was a lucky guess, and it was right.
Take a guess at how many beans are in the jar.
Word forms
| third person singular | guesses |
|---|---|
| past tense | guessed |
| past participle | guessed |
| -ing form | guessing |
| plural | guesses |
Common combinations
- take a guess
- Take a guess at the winner.
- educated guess
- My educated guess is that prices will rise.
- wild guess
- That was just a wild guess.
- guess right
- If you guess right, you win a prize.
- I guess so
- I guess so, if you really want to go.
Synonyms and how they differ
- estimate
- Estimate implies some calculation or evidence, while guess may have little basis.
- suppose
- Suppose is a bit more formal and used for assumptions, whereas guess feels more casual.
- speculate
- Speculate suggests wider reasoning about possibilities, but guess is quick and about one answer.
- reckon
- Reckon is a British informal way to say think, a little less hesitant than guess.
Opposites
Word family
- guesswork noun
- reasoning based on guesses
- guesser noun
- a person who guesses
- guesstimate noun
- an informal rough estimate
- misguess verb
- rare word meaning to guess wrongly
Commonly confused: guess or guest?
guess vs guest
A guest is a visitor, and the spelling differs by one letter.
Practice
"Will it rain tomorrow?" "I ___ so, the sky looks dark."
Choose one answer.
I guess so means I think so. Guest and gust are real words but do not fit grammatically here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “guess”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.