speculate

speculate

From Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day by Merriam-Webster

April 29, 2026 · 2 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the word 'speculate' and its meanings in various contexts.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 29, 2026 is: speculate • \SPEK-yuh-layt\  • verb In general contexts, speculate means "to form ideas or theories about something usually when there are many things not known about it." In contexts relating to business or finance, it means "to invest money in ways that could produce a large profit but that also involve a lot of risk." // Scientists speculate that the newly discovered exoplanet could host liquid water. // Their research explores the implications of so many people speculating on the stock market in the years leading up to the Great Depression. See the entry > Examples: " Bad Bunny wore an all-cream ensemble consisting of a collared shirt and tie, chinos and a sport-inspired jersey bearing the name "Ocasio"—his surname—and the number 64. The significance of the number was not confirmed, but fans were quick to speculate that it referenced his mother's birth year." — Lara Owen, The Independent (United Kingdom), 9 Feb. 2026 Did you know? It might be said that what separates our species from others is our tendency "to meditate on or ponder a subject." That's the original 16th century meaning of speculate…

People in this episode

Host: Merriam-Webster

Topics covered

  • speculation
  • finance
  • language
  • investing
  • theories

Keywords

  • speculate
  • invest
  • theories
  • finance
  • language

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Independent

Books & works: Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

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