verb[no object, usually with clause]
- Given this evidence, local police surmised that perhaps Weed was drunk and accidentally fell off the balcony.
- They surmised that it must be a tractor with two different tires on it.
- The doctor stopped walking, and McNulty surmised that they must be outside Marx's room.
- The international coalition the White House is assembling will fracture if it is asked to act based on hunches and surmises.
- It is unjust to start bombing on the basis of those surmises.
- I was surprised with just how accurate some of their surmises were, though.
Late Middle English (in the senses 'formal allegation' and 'allege formally'): from Anglo-Norman French and Old French surmise, feminine past participle of surmettre 'accuse', from late Latin supermittere 'put in afterwards', from super- 'over' + mittere 'send'.
Words that rhyme with surmiseadvise, apprise, apprize, arise, assize, capsize, chastise, comprise, demise, despise, devise, downsize, excise, flies, guise, incise, low-rise, misprize, outsize, previse, prise, prize, remise, revise, rise, size, surprise, uprise, wise
For editors and proofreaders
Line breaks: sur|mise
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.