Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb speculate

4 senses of speculate

Sense 1
speculate, theorize, theorise, conjecture, hypothesize, hypothesise, hypothecate, suppose -- (to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps")
       => expect, anticipate -- (regard something as probable or likely; "The meteorologists are expecting rain for tomorrow")

Sense 2
speculate -- (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; "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal")
       => reason -- (think logically; "The children must learn to reason")

Sense 3
chew over, think over, meditate, ponder, excogitate, contemplate, muse, reflect, mull, mull over, ruminate, speculate -- (reflect deeply on a subject; "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")
       => think, cogitate, cerebrate -- (use or exercise the mind or one's power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments; "I've been thinking all day and getting nowhere")

Sense 4
speculate, job -- (invest at a risk; "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")
       => invest, put, commit, place -- (make an investment; "Put money into bonds")