1 guess
Pronounced:
/ˈgɛs/
Function:
verbInflected forms:
guess·es; guessed; guess·ingMeaning:
1 a : to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it [+ obj] ▪ Can you guess how many people were there? ▪ He guessed that it would rain today. ▪ It was colder and windier than I had guessed it would be. ▪ She can only guess what he meant. ▪ I'm guessing that she won't come. [=I don't think she'll come] ▪ I never would have guessed [=I am very surprised] that you could be so selfish. [no obj] ▪ I had to choose one, and I guessed right/wrong. ▪ If you can't think of an answer, guess. ▪ “I just heard why he left her.” “Let me guess—another woman.” ▪ As you might have guessed, her parents are not happy about her decision. ▪ We can only guess at what really happened. ◊Guess is used in phrases like guess what or guess who as an informal way of indicating that you have surprising news. ▪ “Guess what!” “What?” “I bought a new car.” ▪ “Guess who I saw yesterday!” “Who?” “My old boyfriend from high school.” ▪ Guess where I'm going on my vacation! ▪ You'll never guess what happened to me today. [=you will be surprised by what happened to me today] b [+ obj] : to guess (something) correctly : to make a correct conclusion about (someone or something) by chance ▪ She guessed my age on her first try. ▪ It took us a while to guess the answer to the riddle. ◊The phrase you guessed it is used as an informal way of saying that what follows is just what you would expect. ▪ We had lunch at Smith's Café, which is owned by, you guessed it, John Smith.
2 [+ obj] chiefly US informal : to suppose or think (something) —usually used following the pronoun I ▪ I guess you're right. ▪ I guess this means that we can't go. ▪ What saved her, I guess [=I imagine], was her quick wit. ▪ I guess you could say that it was all his fault. ◊In responding to a question, the phrase I guess (so) is used as an informal way of agreeing or saying “yes” when you are not certain or not very excited or interested. ▪ “Are you hungry?” “I guess.” ▪ “This one looks better, doesn't it?” “I guess so.” ◊The phrase I guess not is used as an informal way of agreeing with a negative statement or of saying “no.” ▪ “That wasn't a very smart thing to do, was it?” “I guess not.” —see also second-guess
2 [+ obj] chiefly US informal : to suppose or think (something) —usually used following the pronoun I ▪ I guess you're right. ▪ I guess this means that we can't go. ▪ What saved her, I guess [=I imagine], was her quick wit. ▪ I guess you could say that it was all his fault. ◊In responding to a question, the phrase I guess (so) is used as an informal way of agreeing or saying “yes” when you are not certain or not very excited or interested. ▪ “Are you hungry?” “I guess.” ▪ “This one looks better, doesn't it?” “I guess so.” ◊The phrase I guess not is used as an informal way of agreeing with a negative statement or of saying “no.” ▪ “That wasn't a very smart thing to do, was it?” “I guess not.” —see also second-guess
keep (someone) guessing or chiefly US leave (someone) guessing
: to make it impossible for someone to know what will happen next ▪ The many twists and turns in the plot will keep readers guessing until the last page. ▪ He likes to leave us guessing about his plans.
—guess·er noun plural guess·ers [count] ▪ a lucky guesser