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infer

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Infer is defined as to conclude from evidence or assumptions.

(verb)

An example of infer is to assume that a child took the plate of cookies since he was the only one in the room when the cookies went missing.

See infer in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb inferred, inferring

Obsolete to bring on or about; cause; induce
to conclude or decide from something known or assumed; derive by reasoning; draw as a conclusion
1. to lead to as a conclusion; indicate
2. to indicate indirectly; imply: in this sense, still sometimes regarded as a loose usage

Origin: L inferre, to bring or carry in, infer < in-, in + ferre, to carry, bear

intransitive verb

to draw inferences

Related Forms:

inferable adjective
inferably adverb
inferrer noun

See infer in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb in·ferred, in·fer·ring, in·fers

verb, transitive

To conclude from evidence or premises.
To reason from circumstance; surmise: We can infer that his motive in publishing the diary was less than honorable.
To lead to as a consequence or conclusion: “Socrates argued that a statue inferred the existence of a sculptor” (Academy).
To hint; imply.

verb, intransitive

To draw inferences.

Origin:

Origin: Latin īnferre, to bring in, adduce

Origin: : in-, in; see in-²

Origin: + ferre, to bear; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

in·ferˈa·ble adjective

in·ferˈa·bly adverb

in·ferˈrer noun

Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions.

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