verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Australian, Received-Pronunciation:/ɪnˈfɜː/
Canada, General-American:/ɪnˈfɝ/
California, Southern:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Scotland:/ɪnˈfɛr/
New-Zealand:/ənˈføː/
/ɪnˈfeː/Liverpool, fair–fur merger
/ɪnˈfɛː/Humberside, Teesside, fair–fur merger
/ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)/Lancashire, fair–fur merger
rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)
CMU ARPABET:IH2 N F ER1
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: conclude, deduce, educe, construe
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To lead to (something) as a consequence; to imply.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: often, proscribed, transitive
Examples
a. 1535, Thomas More, letter to Fryth the fyrste parte is not the proofe of the second. but rather contrarywyse the seconde inferreth well yͤ fyrst.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: imply, suggest, entail
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To cause, inflict (something) upon or to someone.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To introduce (a subject) in speaking, writing etc.; to bring in, to adduce.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
believe to be the case
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
I understand you have no previous experience?
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: understand
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: believe
6
verb
Meaning 6
guess correctly; solve by guessing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
He guessed the right number of beans in the jar and won the prize
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: guess
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: solve, work out, figure out, puzzle out, lick, work
Narrower terms: tell
7
verb
Meaning 7
reason by deduction; establish by deduction
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: deduce, deduct, derive
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: reason, reason out, conclude
Narrower terms: extrapolate, surmise, elicit
8
verb
Meaning 8
conclude by reasoning; in logic
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: deduce
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: reason, reason out, conclude
9
verb
Meaning 9
draw from specific cases for more general cases
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
From Latin inferō, from Latin in- (“in, at, on; into”) + Latin ferō (“bear, carry; suffer”) (cognate to Old English beran, whence English bear), from Proto-Italic *ferō, from Proto-Indo-European *bhéreti (“to bear, carry”), from the root *bher-. Literally “carry forward”, equivalent to “bear in”, as in concluding from a premise. Doublet of inbear.
Across languages
Translations
64 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
заключавам
(zaključavam)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Catalan:
inferir
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Chinese Mandarin:
推斷 /推断
(tuīduàn)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Czech:
vyvodit
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Dutch:
concluderen
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Finnish:
päätellä
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Finnish:
tehdä johtopäätös
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
French:
déduire
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
French:
inférer
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
German:
schlussfolgern
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
German:
folgern
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
German:
schließen
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
German:
Schlüsse ziehen
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Greek:
συμπεραίνω
(symperaíno)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Hungarian:
következtet
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Hungarian:
kikövetkeztet
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Hungarian:
dedukál
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Italian:
inferire
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Italian:
dedurre
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Italian:
concludere
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Italian:
infliggere
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Latin:
coniecto
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Māori:
hīkaro
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Occitan:
inferir
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Occitan:
dedusir
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Occitan:
deduire
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Occitan:
dedurre
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Polish:
wnioskować
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Polish:
wywnioskować
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Polish:
dedukować
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Polish:
wydedukować
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Portuguese:
inferir
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Romanian:
motiva
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Romanian:
deduce
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Romanian:
infera
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Russian:
заключи́ть
(zaključítʹ)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Russian:
сде́лать заключе́ние
(sdélatʹ zaključénije)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Russian:
сде́лать вы́вод
(sdélatʹ vývod)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Russian:
вы́вести
(vývesti)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Spanish:
inferir
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Swedish:
sluta sig till
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Thai:
อนุมาน
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Turkish:
anlam çıkarmak
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Turkish:
anlamına gelmek
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Turkish:
anlamak
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Turkish:
mana çıkarmak
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Turkish:
manasına gelmek
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Turkish:
sonucunu çıkarmak
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Ukrainian:
робити висновок
(robyty vysnovok)
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Welsh:
enwytho
— to introduce (something) as a reasoned conclusion; to conclude by reasoning or deduction, as from premises or evidence
Bulgarian:
загатвам
(zagatvam)
— to lead to as a consequence
Czech:
dopadnout
— to lead to as a consequence
Finnish:
johtaa
— to lead to as a consequence
Finnish:
selittää
— to lead to as a consequence
German:
zur Folge haben
— to lead to as a consequence
Greek:
υπονοώ
(yponoó)
— to lead to as a consequence
Greek:
υπαινίσσομαι
(ypainíssomai)
— to lead to as a consequence
Italian:
implicare
— to lead to as a consequence
Russian:
предполага́ть
(predpolagátʹ)
— to lead to as a consequence
Russian:
предположи́ть
(predpoložítʹ)
— to lead to as a consequence
Russian:
дога́дываться
(dogádyvatʹsja)
— to lead to as a consequence
Russian:
догада́ться
(dogadátʹsja)
— to lead to as a consequence
