| v. i. | 1. | To consider by turning a subject in the mind, and viewing it in its different aspects and relations; to meditate; to contemplate; to theorize; |
| 2. | (Philos.) To view subjects from certain premises given or assumed, and infer conclusions respecting them a priori. | |
| 3. | (Com.) To purchase with the expectation of a contingent advance in value, and a consequent sale at a profit; - often, in a somewhat depreciative sense, of unsound or hazardous transactions; | |
| v. t. | 1. | To consider attentively; |
| Verb | 1. | speculate - to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps" |
| 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" | |
| 3. | 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" Synonyms: meditate, mull, mull over, muse, ponder, chew over, think over, excogitate, ruminate, reflect, contemplate | |
| 4. | speculate - 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" Synonyms: job |