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infer

 - 3 dictionary results

in⋅fer

  [in-fur] verb, -ferred, -fer⋅ring.
Use infer in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence: They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.
2. (of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.
3. to guess; speculate; surmise.
4. to hint; imply; suggest.
–verb (used without object)
5. to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.
Origin:
1520–30; < L inferre, equiv. to in- in- 2 + ferre to bring, carry, bear 1

Related forms:
in⋅fer⋅a⋅ble, in⋅fer⋅i⋅ble, in⋅fer⋅ri⋅ble, adjective
in⋅fer⋅a⋅bly, adverb
in⋅fer⋅rer, noun

Synonyms:
1. deduce, reason, guess.

Usage note:
Infer has been used to mean “to hint or suggest” since the 16th century by speakers and writers of unquestioned ability and eminence: The next speaker criticized the proposal, inferring that it was made solely to embarrass the government. Despite its long history, many 20th-century usage guides condemn the use, maintaining that the proper word for the intended sense is imply and that to use infer is to lose a valuable distinction between the two words.
Although the claimed distinction has probably existed chiefly in the pronouncements of usage guides, and although the use of infer to mean “to suggest” usually produces no ambiguity, the distinction too has a long history and is widely observed by many speakers and writers.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To infer
in·fer   (ĭn-fûr')   
v.   in·ferred, in·fer·ring, in·fers

v.   tr.

  1. To conclude from evidence or premises.

  2. To reason from circumstance; surmise: We can infer that his motive in publishing the diary was less than honorable.

  3. To lead to as a consequence or conclusion: "Socrates argued that a statue inferred the existence of a sculptor" (Academy).

  4. To hint; imply.

v.   intr.
To draw inferences.

[Latin īnferre, to bring in, adduce : in-, in; see in-2 + ferre, to bear; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
in·fer'a·ble adj., in·fer'a·bly adv., in·fer'rer n.
Usage Note: Infer is sometimes confused with imply, but the distinction is a useful one. When we say that a speaker or sentence implies something, we mean that it is conveyed or suggested without being stated outright: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a business tax increase, she implied (not inferred) that some taxes might be raised. Inference, on the other hand, is the activity performed by a reader or interpreter in drawing conclusions that are not explicit in what is said: When the mayor said that she would not rule out a tax increase, we inferred that she had been consulting with some new financial advisers, since her old advisers were in favor of tax reductions.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: in·fer
Pronunciation: in-'f&r
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: in·ferred; in·fer·ring
transitive verb : to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises infer acceptance of the offer from the offeree's response> intransitive verb : to draw inferences —in·fer·able also in·fer·ri·ble /in-'f&r-&-b&l/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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