Definitions for speculate
ˈspɛk yəˌleɪtspec·u·late

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. speculate, theorize, theorise, conjecture, hypothesize, hypothesise, hypothecate, supposeverb

   to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds

   "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps"

2. speculateverb

   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

   "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal"

3. chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculateverb

   reflect deeply on a subject

   "I mulled over the events of the afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate"

4. speculate, jobverb

   invest at a risk

   "I bought this house not because I want to live in it but to sell it later at a good price, so I am speculating"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. speculateverb

   to think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to deliberate or cogitate

2. speculateverb

   to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture

3. speculateverb

   to make a risky trade in the hope of making a profit; to venture or gamble

4. Etymology: From speculatus, past participle of speculor, from specula, from specio

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Speculateverb

   To consider attentively; to look through with the mind.

   Man was not meant to gape, or look upward with the eye, but to have his thoughts sublime; and not only behold, but speculate their nature with the eye of the understanding. Thomas Browne, Vulgar Errours.

2. To Speculateverb

   To meditate; to contemplate; to take a view of any thing with the mind.

   Etymology: speculer, Fr. speculor, Lat.

   Consider the quantity, and not speculate upon an intrinsecal relation. Kenelm Digby, on Bodies.

   As our news-writers record many facts which afford great matter of speculation, their readers speculate accordingly, and by their variety of conjectures become consummate statesmen. Addison.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. speculate

   Speculate generally refers to the act of forming opinions or conclusions based on conjecture or incomplete information. It can also mean to invest in stocks, real estate, or other ventures in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.5 / 2 votes

1. Speculateverb

   to consider by turning a subject in the mind, and viewing it in its different aspects and relations; to meditate; to contemplate; to theorize; as, to speculate on questions in religion; to speculate on political events

2. Speculateverb

   to view subjects from certain premises given or assumed, and infer conclusions respecting them a priori

3. Speculateverb

   to purchase with the expectation of a contingent advance in value, and a consequent sale at a profit; -- often, in a somewhat depreciative sense, of unsound or hazardous transactions; as, to speculate in coffee, in sugar, or in bank stock

4. Speculateverb

   to consider attentively; as, to speculate the nature of a thing

5. Etymology: [L. speculatus, p. p. of speculari to spy out, observe, fr. specula a lookout, fr. specere to look. See Spy.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Speculate

   spek′ū-lāt, v.i. to look at or into with the mind: to consider: to theorise: to traffic for great profit.—ns. Speculā′tion, act of speculating: mental view: contemplation: theory: the buying goods, &c., to sell them at an advance, any more or less risky investment of money for the sake of unusually large profits; Spec′ulātist, a speculative philosopher.—adj. Spec′ūlātive, given to speculation or theory: ideal: pertaining to speculation in business, &c.—adv. Spec′ulātively.—ns. Spec′ulātiveness, the state of being speculative; Spec′ulātor, one who engages in mental speculations, or who practises speculation in trade or business of any kind.—adj. Spec′ūlātory, exercising speculation: adapted for spying or viewing.—n. Spec′ulātrix, a female speculator. [L. speculatus, pa.p. of speculāri—specula, a lookout—specĕre, to look.]

Matched Categories

1. • Reason

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for speculate »

1. peculates

How to pronounce speculate?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say speculate in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of speculate in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of speculate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of speculate in a Sentence

1. Kevin Durant:

   I expect it not to be [an issue], that’s on Kyrie. That’s his personal decision. What he does is not on us to speculate. I expect us to have our whole team at some point.

2. Andrew Cuomo:

   Now, people can speculate. People can guess. I think next week, I think two weeks, I think a month, im out of that business because we all failed at that business. Right? All the early national experts. Heres my projection model. Heres my projection model. They were all wrong. They were all wrong.

3. Mark Twain:

   There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate when he can't afford it, and when he can. - from Following the Equator

4. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke:

   I think the first kid he targeted had something to do with the study group he was in but that is an issue I don’t want to speculate on because the campus police are looking into it.

5. Jim Nail:

   Some of the other misses seem to be related to the integration of Fox, i would speculate that they have decided to take all their lumps this quarter and put all this 'bad' news together, clearing the board for better results next quarter.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=speculate
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Speculate
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=speculate
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speculate
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=speculate
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=speculate