Guess
to arrive at or commit oneself to an opinion about (something) without having sufficient evidence to support the opinion fully:
to guess a person’s weight.
to estimate or conjecture about correctly:
to guess what a word means.
to think, believe, or suppose:
I guess I can get there in time.
to form an estimate or conjecture (often followed by at or about):
We guessed at the weight of the package.
to estimate or conjecture correctly.
an opinion that one reaches or to which one commits oneself on the basis of probability alone or in the absence of any evidence whatever.
the act of forming such an opinion:
to take a guess at someone’s weight.
by guess and by gosh, Northern U.S. using a combination of guesswork and reliance on luck; hit or miss.
Also, by guess and by golly.
Contemporary Examples
How I Write: Richard Posner Noah Charney November 6, 2013
Masterpiece Smackdown: Warhol’s ‘Empire’ vs. Marclay’s ‘Clock’ Blake Gopnik January 16, 2014
Romney Won’t Talk FEMA Michael Tomasky October 29, 2012
McArthur Taylor, Son of War Criminal Charles Taylor, Defends His Father Gboko Stewart September 26, 2013
Our Trip to The Climate War’s Ground Zero Darren Aronofsky September 18, 2014
Historical Examples
K Mary Roberts Rinehart
Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) Samuel Richardson
The Golden Woman Ridgwell Cullum
The Conquest of Fear Basil King
The Rover Boys on the Farm Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)
verb (when transitive, may take a clause as object)
when intr, often foll by at or about. to form or express an uncertain estimate or conclusion (about something), based on insufficient information: guess what we’re having for dinner
to arrive at a correct estimate of (something) by guessing: he guessed my age
(informal, mainly US & Canadian) to believe, think, or suppose (something): I guess I’ll go now
keep a person guessing, to let a person remain in a state of uncertainty
noun
an estimate or conclusion arrived at by guessing: a bad guess
the act of guessing
anyone’s guess, something difficult to predict
v.
n.
see:
anyone’s guess
educated guess
have another guess coming
your guess is as good as mine
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