Standard Lemma guide

speculate

verb · 8 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈspɛk.jʊˌleɪt/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈspɛk.jəˌleɪt/
  • Colorado Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˈspek.jəˌlæɪt/
  • CMU ARPABET: S P EH1 K Y AH0 L EY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To anticipate which branch of code will be chosen and execute it in advance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

reflect deeply on a subject

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: think, cogitate, cerebrate

Narrower terms: premeditate, theologize, theologise, introspect, bethink, cogitate, wonder, question, puzzle, study, consider

6

verb

Meaning 6

to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: theorize, theorise, conjecture, hypothesize, hypothesise, hypothecate, suppose

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: expect, anticipate

Narrower terms: reconstruct, construct, retrace, explicate, formulate, develop

7

verb

Meaning 7

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reason

Narrower terms: guess, venture, pretend, hazard, suppose, say

8

verb

Meaning 8

invest at a risk

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: job

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: invest, put, commit, place

Narrower terms: bull

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin speculātus, perfect active participle of speculor (“to watch, observe, examine, spy”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from specula (“a watchtower”), ultimately from speciō (“to look at”).

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: размишлявам (razmišljavam) — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沉思 (chénsī) — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Danish: spekulere — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Finnish: pohtia — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Finnish: pohdiskella — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • French: spéculer — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • German: spekulieren — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • German: Vermutungen anstellen — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Hungarian: mereng — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Hungarian: spekulál — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Italian: cogitare — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Italian: meditare — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Italian: escogitare — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Māori: kohuki — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Māori: whakaaroaro — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Russian: размышля́ть (razmyšljátʹ) — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Russian: де́лать предположе́ния (délatʹ predpoložénija) — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Swedish: spekulera — (obsolete in English) to meditate
  • Bulgarian: спекулирам (spekuliram) — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 猜測 /猜测 (cāicè) — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Chinese Mandarin: 推測 /推测 (tuīcè) — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Danish: gætte — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Dutch: vermoeden — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Finnish: arvailla — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Finnish: jossitella — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • German: vermuten — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Ancient Greek: θεωρέω (theōréō) — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Hungarian: spekulál — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Ido: spekular — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Indonesian: berspekulasi — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Italian: speculare — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Italian: elucubrare — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Māori: kohuki — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Polish: gdybać — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Russian: предполага́ть (predpolagátʹ) — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Spanish: especular — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Spanish: elucubrar — to make an inference based on inconclusive evidence
  • Bulgarian: спекулирам (spekuliram) — to make a risky trade
  • Chinese Mandarin: 投機 /投机 (tóujī) — to make a risky trade
  • Chinese Mandarin: 投機倒把 /投机倒把 (tóujī dǎobǎ) — to make a risky trade
  • Czech: spekulovat — to make a risky trade
  • Danish: spekulere — to make a risky trade
  • Dutch: speculeren — to make a risky trade
  • Finnish: keinotella — to make a risky trade
  • Finnish: spekuloida — to make a risky trade
  • French: spéculer — to make a risky trade
  • German: spekulieren — to make a risky trade
  • Hungarian: spekulál — to make a risky trade
  • Italian: speculare — to make a risky trade
  • Italian: giocare — to make a risky trade
  • Italian: investire — to make a risky trade
  • Italian: approfittarsi — to make a risky trade
  • Polish: spekulować — to make a risky trade
  • Russian: спекули́ровать (spekulírovatʹ) — to make a risky trade
  • Swedish: spekulera — to make a risky trade