speculate

/ˈspɛkjəˌleɪt/
verb
  1. To form ideas or theories about something without having all the facts; to guess.
    • Without more evidence, we can only speculate about what happened.
    • Scientists speculate about the existence of life on other planets.
    • The news article speculated that the company might merge with a rival.
  2. To invest money in risky ventures in the hope of making a large profit.
    • She decided to speculate on cryptocurrency despite the high risk.
    • He speculated in the stock market and lost a lot of money.
    • Some investors speculate on real estate, buying properties hoping prices will rise.
Antonyms
What does "speculate" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean