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speculate Definition

specu·late (spek′yə lāt′)

intransitive verb -·lat′ed, -·lat′·ing

  1. to think about the various aspects of a given subject; meditate; ponder; esp., to conjecture
  2. to buy or sell stocks, commodities, land, etc., usually in the face of higher than ordinary risk, hoping to take advantage of an expected rise or fall in price; also, to take part in any risky venture on the chance of making huge profits

Etymology: < L speculatus, pp. of speculari, to view < specula, watchtower < specere, to see: see spy

speculate Related Forms
spec′u·la′·tor noun
speculate Synonyms

speculate

v.

  1. To think

    contemplate, meditate, muse, reflect, conjecture, theorize, hypothesize, hazard an opinion, consider, cogitate, beat the brains*, wear out the gray matter*; see also think.

    Antonyms neglect*, take for granted, ignore.

  2. To gamble in business

    risk, hazard, venture, margin up*, be long of the market*, pour money into*, play the market*, take a chance*; see also gamble 1. See syn. study at think.

speculate Usage Examples

Preposition: about

  • possibility: James Goff does not have to speculate about possibilities, however.
  • implication: This question led the researchers to speculate about the implications of further investigation.

Object

  • webmasters: Many webmasters speculated that Google might have discontinued the PageRank information.

Preposition: on

  • possibility: Did you have any specific authors in mind or were you just speculating on the possibility of this?
  • implication: However, it is useful to speculate on possible wider implications.
  • reason: It is not our place to speculate on the reasons for such a change.

Modifying Another Word

  • idly: I have been idly speculating about my life as a lady of leisure.
  • wildly: Perhaps - to speculate more wildly - this is part of the carving from the ancient cross from which the abbey took its name.
  • merely: Are miracles to remain beyond human validation and merely speculated on as to when, or if, they have occurred?
  • about: Visiting there makes me speculate about how he would react to the Church of Uganda nearly 100 years on.
  • only: Only speculate with money you can afford to lose.
  • reasonably: Thinking skills involved: finding different paths to knowledge and speculating reasonably.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • upon: Q: How do you cope with having your personal life speculated upon in the press?

Used with why or when

  • why: Last night Mr Salmond said he could only speculate why he had been given such information.
  • who: It is interesting to speculate who might make use of the code.
  • what: One can only speculate what he would have achieved.
  • which: Similarly, we will not attempt to speculate which standard will ultimately prevail in the future.
  • where: It is probably idle to speculate where we will go on the constitution; in its current form it is certainly off the agenda.
  • that: Researchers speculated that could be because music engages the mind.

Infinitive complement

  • accumulate: Why has the club not speculated to accumulate in recent years?
speculate Quotes

   The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. Even to speculate is a gain.

—Cousins, Norman