Definition for

speculate


To view as from a watch-tower or observatory; observe.

To take a discriminating view of; consider attentively; speculate upon; examine; inspect: as, to speculate the nature of a thing.

To pursue truth by thinking, as by mathematical reasoning, by logical analysis, or by the review of data already collected.

To take a discursive view of a subject or subjects; note diverse aspects, relations, or probabilities; meditate; conjecture: often implying absence of definite method or result.

To invest money for profit upon an uncertainty; take the risk of loss in view of possible gain; make a purchase or purchases, as of something liable to sudden fluctuations in price or to rapid deterioration, on the chance of selling at a large advance: as, to speculate in stocks.

intransitive verb – To consider by turning a subject in the mind, and viewing it in its different aspects and relations; to meditate; to contemplate; to theorize

intransitive verb – To view subjects from certain premises given or assumed, and infer conclusions respecting them a priori.

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