guess

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++guess1 /ɡes/ ●●● S1 W3 verb  1  [intransitive, transitive]GUESS to try to answer a question or form an opinion when you are not sure whether you will be correct 猜，猜测 I’d say he’s around 50, but I’m only guessing. 我想他50岁左右，不过也只是猜测。guess right/correctly/wrong If you guess correctly, you have another turn. 如果猜对了，还会有一次机会。guess what/who/how etc You can guess what happened next. 你可以猜猜接下来发生了什么。guess at We can only guess at the cause of the crash. 我们只能猜测这次撞车事故的原因。 What star sign are you? No, let me guess. 你是什么星座的？别说，让我来猜猜看。difficult/hard/easy etc to guess It’s hard to guess his age because he dyes his hair. 他的年龄不好猜，因为他染了头发。2  [intransitive, transitive] to realize that something is true even though you do not know for certain 猜对，猜中，猜出guess (that) I guessed that you must be related because you look so similar. 我猜你们肯定是亲戚，你们长得这么像。guess from I guessed from his expression that he already knew about the accident. 我从他的表情猜得出来，他已经知道出事了。 Can you guess the identity of this week’s special guest? 你们猜得出本周的特邀嘉宾是谁吗？3  keep somebody guessing GUESSto make someone feel excited or not sure about what will happen next 〔不告诉某人下一步将发生什么〕让某人捉摸不定 a thriller that keeps audiences guessing 悬念迭起的惊险影片4  I guess spoken a) used to say that you think something is true or likely, although you are not sure 我想，我认为 His light’s on, so I guess he’s still up. 他的灯亮着，所以我猜他还没睡。 b) used to say that you will do something even though you do not really want to 我想〔表示打算做某事〕 I’m tired, so I guess I’ll stay home tonight. 我累了，所以我想今晚待在家里。5  I guess so/not spoken used to agree or disagree with a statement or question 我想是的/我想不是 ‘You’re one lucky guy.’ ‘I guess so.’ “你是个幸运的家伙。”“我想是的。” ‘I don’t really have any choice, do I?’ ‘I guess not.’ “我其实没有任何选择，是不是？”“我想是的。”6  guess what/you’ll never guess who/what etc spokenGUESS used before you tell someone something that will surprise them 猜猜看/你永远也猜不出是谁/是什么等 Guess what! Bradley’s resigned. 你猜怎么着，布拉德利辞职了。 You’ll never guess who I saw today. 你永远也猜不出我今天见到谁了。 → second-guess→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

guess• "Are you Dan's brother?'' "Yes, how did you guess?''• "Don't tell me - you got the job." "How'd you guess?"• You should have come to Ward or me the minute you suspected it, instead of fooling around guessing.• Are you sure Linda's pregnant, or are you just guessing?• We can only guess at the cause of the crash.• I'm only guessing, but I should think their house is worth over a million.• Perhaps you can guess exactly where I fell that night.• No prizes either for guessing his four-legged friend is named after a famous Liverpool manager.• I guess how each one I guess.• Guess how much I paid for this watch!• I guess I was doing the best I could with the knowledge I had.• Which hand have I got the chocolate in? If you guess right you can have it.• He guessed she was about 30.• I didn't know all the answers so I just had to guess some of them.• She might have guessed that as soon as she tried for a little peace and quiet the whole place would be inundated with callers.• Sally guessed that he had been drinking for most of the afternoon.• From their behaviour it was easy to guess that they were married.• Detectives guess the attacker must be aged from 25 - 30.• Already he's guessing the colour of her toothbrush.• Luckily, I guessed the right answer and won the prize!• They had already guessed the truth about their son's disappearance.• Guy looked at her face, and guessed what she was thinking.• Guess who I saw in town yesterday.• And I guess, yeah, we could stand to read more.difficult/hard/easy etc to guess• It then turns into a mystery with an outcome much too easy to guess.• Say, how did Prudence come by her fortune? Hard to guess, quite a question.• It was easy to guess that last evening's walk had not been a success.• It was not difficult to guess the direction his thoughts were taking.• It's hardly difficult to guess the sequence of events immediately after he'd quietly inserted his key in the Yale lock.• Consultants rely heavily on focus groups be-cause it is difficult to guess what audiences will like or hate.• He knew every inflection of the marquis's voice and it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.guess (that)• In her mid-twenties, I'd guess.• I guess he thought that I knew all about it, since I lived here.• Yet my guess is that after yesterday Hick will prevail for several reasons.• The habitat I refer to, as you may have guessed, is the garden.• Then she heard an outer door close, and guessed that refreshment had been delivered.• It had been a lucky guess, that was all.• Have them notice the position of the eyes on various animals and ask them to guess the reasons for the differences.• I would never have guessed they were a couple.• I bet you've got a shrewd guess what's in it.guess2 ●●● S3 noun [countable]  1  GUESSan attempt to answer a question or make a judgment when you are not sure whether you will be correct 猜测 I’d say she’s about 35, but that’s only a guess. 我说她大约35岁，不过那只是猜测。2  be anybody’s guess NOT KNOWto be something that no one knows 谁也不知道，谁也拿不准 What she’s going to do with her life now is anybody’s guess. 现在她打算怎么生活谁也不知道。3. your guess is as good as mine spokenDON'T CARE used to tell someone that you do not know any more than they do about something 我跟你一样不知道 COLLOCATIONSverbsmake a guess 作猜测5Most farmers can make a good guess at what the weather will be like.大多数农民都能对天气情况猜个八九不离十。nI didn't know the answer to question 7, so I just had to make a guess.have a guess British English, take a guess American English: 猜一猜Go on, have a guess at how much it cost. 来吧，猜猜它是多少钱买的。nTake a guess. How many people do you think showed up?hazard a guess (=guess something, when you feel very uncertain) 贸然猜测No one at this stage is prepared to hazard a guess about the outcome of the elections. 这一阶段没人敢贸然猜测选举的结果。adjectivesa rough guess (=one that is not exact) 粗略的猜测This is just a rough guess, but I think it would cost about $50. 只是大致猜一下，我想它在50元左右。a wild guess (=one made without much thought or information) 胡乱的猜测I made a wild guess and I got the answer right first time. 我瞎猜了一下，一次就猜对了。a lucky guess 幸运的猜测‘How did you know?’ ‘It was just a lucky guess.’ “你是怎么知道的？”“只是运气好猜中的。”a good guess (=one that is likely to be right) 准确的猜测I'm not sure how old she is, but I can make a good guess! 我不知道她的年龄，但可以猜个差不离！somebody’s best guess (=one that you think is most likely to be right) 某人最好的猜测nMy best guess is that it will take around six months.an educated/informed guess (=a guess based on things that you know are correct) 有根据的猜测nStockbrokers try to make educated guesses as to which stocks will do well.nan intelligent guessAnalysis of the archaeological site will help us make an intelligent guess as to what it was used for.nan inspired guess (=a very good guess that you make suddenly)It’s hard to believe he got that right with just an inspired guess.phrasesmy guess is (that) 我的猜测是My guess is there won’t be many people there. 我猜那里不会有许多人。at a guess British English (=used when saying that you are making a guess) 据猜测I'd say it was built around the turn of the century, at a guess. 据猜测，它大约建于世纪之初。I’ll give you three guesses (=used to tell someone that it should be easy for them to guess the answer to their question) 我让你猜三次〔用于表示很容易猜中〕n‘Where is he?’ ‘I’ll give you three guesses.’

Examples from the Corpus

guess• I'm not sure why she left him, but I think I can make a guess.• This is only a guess, but I think Barbara might have gone to Jan's house.• "Did Cindy tell you that she's sold the business?" "No, it was just an educated guess."• "When was the house built - about 1600?" "That's a good guess - it was 1624."• I didn't really know the answer. It was just a lucky guess.• The reporters could not tell whether this was because Kalmbach was a lucky guess or a ridiculous one.• It is anybody's guess as to how the sale will fare.• What happens to Mr Mandelson next is anyone's guess.• And those guesses will come more from our own sense of meaning and beauty than the actual beliefs of the cave artists.• "Who's her new boyfriend then?" "I'll give you three guesses!''• I'll give you three guesses.• Your guess is as good as mine.Origin guess1 (1200-1300) Probably from a Scandinavian language

guess1 verbguess2 noun →COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChinese  

or Corpus a form try to question answer an to

guess

I

guess¹ S1 W3 /ɡes/ verb1. [intransitive and transitive] to try to answer a question or form an opinion when you are not sure whether you will be correct:
    I’d say he’s around 50, but I’m only guessing.
    guess right/correctly/wrong
    If you guess correctly, you have another turn.
    guess what/who/how etc
    You can guess what happened next.
    guess at
    We can only guess at the cause of the crash.
    What star sign are you? No, let me guess.
    difficult/hard/easy etc to guess
    It’s hard to guess his age because he dyes his hair.
2. [intransitive and transitive] to realize that something is true even though you do not know for certain
    guess (that)
    I guessed that you must be related because you look so similar.
    guess from
    I guessed from his expression that he already knew about the accident.
    Can you guess the identity of this week’s special guest?
3. keep somebody guessing to make someone feel excited or not sure about what will happen next:
    a thriller that keeps audiences guessing
4. I guess spoken
  a. used to say that you think something is true or likely, although you are not sure:
    His light’s on, so I guess he’s still up.
  b. used to say that you will do something even though you do not really want to:
    I’m tired, so I guess I’ll stay home tonight.
5. I guess so/not spoken used to agree or disagree with a statement or question:
    ‘You’re one lucky guy.’ ‘I guess so.’
    ‘I don’t really have any choice, do I?’ ‘I guess not.’
6. guess what/you’ll never guess who/what etc spoken used before you tell someone something that will surprise them:
    Guess what! Bradley’s resigned.
    You’ll never guess who I saw today.
⇨ second-guess

II

guess² S3 noun [countable]
1. an attempt to answer a question or make a judgement when you are not sure whether you will be correct:
    I’d say she’s about 35, but that’s only a guess.
2. be anybody’s guess to be something that no one knows:
    What she’s going to do with her life now is anybody’s guess.
3. your guess is as good as mine spoken used to tell someone that you do not know any more than they do about something
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ make a guess I didn't know the answer to question 7, so I just had to make a guess.
   ▪ have a guess British English, take a guess AmE: Go on, have a guess at how much it cost. | Take a guess. How many people do you think showed up?
   ▪ hazard a guess (=guess something, when you feel very uncertain) No one at this stage is prepared to hazard a guess about the outcome of the elections.
■ adjectives
   ▪ a rough guess (=one that is not exact) This is just a rough guess, but I think it would cost about $50.
   ▪ a wild guess (=one made without much thought or information) I made a wild guess and I got the answer right first time.
   ▪ a lucky guess ‘How did you know?’ ‘It was just a lucky guess.’
   ▪ a good guess (=one that is likely to be right) I'm not sure how old she is, but I can make a good guess!
   ▪ sb’s best guess (=one that you think is most likely to be right) My best guess is that it will take around six months.
   ▪ an educated/informed guess (=a guess based on things that you know are correct) Stockbrokers try to make educated guesses as to which stocks will do well.
   ▪ an intelligent guess Analysis of the archaeological site will help us make an intelligent guess as to what it was used for.
   ▪ an inspired guess (=a very good guess that you make suddenly) It’s hard to believe he got that right with just an inspired guess.
■ phrases
   ▪ my guess is (that) My guess is there won’t be many people there.
   ▪ at a guess British English (=used when saying that you are making a guess) I'd say it was built around the turn of the century, at a guess.
   ▪ I’ll give you three guesses (=used to tell someone that it should be easy for them to guess the answer to their question) ‘Where is he?’ ‘I’ll give you three guesses.’