transitive verb
1
: to derive as a conclusion from facts or premises
we see smoke and infer fire—
L. A. White
compare imply
2
: guess, surmise
your letter … allows me to infer that you are as well as ever—O. W. Holmes †1935
3
a
: to involve as a normal outcome of thought
b
: to point out : indicate
this doth infer the zeal I had to see him—William Shakespeare
another survey … infers that two-thirds of all present computer installations are not paying for themselves—H. R. Chellman
inferable
adjective
or less commonly inferrible
Infer vs. Imply: Usage Guide
Sir Thomas More is the first writer known to have used both infer and imply in their approved senses in 1528 (with infer meaning «to deduce from facts» and imply meaning «to hint at»). He is also the first to have used infer in a sense close in meaning to imply (1533). Both of these uses of infer coexisted without comment until some time around the end of World War I. Since then, the «indicate» and «hint or suggest» meanings of infer have been frequently condemned as an undesirable blurring of a useful distinction. The actual blurring has been done by the commentators. The «indicate» sense of infer, descended from More’s use of 1533, does not occur with a personal subject. When objections arose, they were to a use with a personal subject (which is now considered a use of the «suggest, hint» sense of infer). Since dictionaries did not recognize this use specifically, the objectors assumed that the «indicate» sense was the one they found illogical, even though it had been in respectable use for four centuries. The actual usage condemned was a spoken one never used in logical discourse. At present the condemned «suggest, hint» sense is found in print chiefly in letters to the editor and other informal prose, not in serious intellectual writing. The controversy over the «suggest, hint» sense has apparently reduced the frequency with which the «indicate» sense of infer is used.
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for infer
infer, deduce, conclude, judge, gather mean to arrive at a mental conclusion.
infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.
from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other
deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.
denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality
conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.
concluded that only the accused could be guilty
judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.
judge people by their actions
gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.
gathered their desire to be alone without a word
Example Sentences
May I remark here that although I seem to infer that private communication is an unholy mess of grammatical barbarism, … such is not my intent …
—V. Louise Higgins, «Approaching Usage in the Classroom,»
English Journal, March 1960
… I infer that Swinburne found an adequate outlet for the creative impulse in his poetry …
—T. S. Eliot, The Sacred Wood, 1920
Lucy … reseated herself with an alacrity and cheerfulness which seemed to infer that she could taste no greater delight …
—Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, 1811
It’s difficult to infer how these changes will affect ordinary citizens.
Are you inferring that I’m wrong?
Recent Examples on the Web
For all the multiphoton microscopes in his lab, Sulzer can still seem like Galileo, trying to infer the positions of planets from pinpricks of light in ground glass.
—Burkhard Bilger, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2023
Based on these results, the team infers that female whale sharks (TL>11 m) in this study were mature but not pregnant.
—Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023
And lest anyone tries therefore to infer some biological-essentialist agenda, there are also trans men and trans women featured, including a consultation with an older patient being advised by her doctor on keeping her estrogen levels in line with those of menopausal cis women.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 10 Mar. 2023
The jury can infer based on the other evidence.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 21 Mar. 2022
Those rulings inferred that land titles were vested with European colonists, and later, the U.S. government.
—Niha Masih, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
After all, work in this field is based on a few basic assumptions that are as simple as possible—such as that there is an empty set—from which results as complicated as Gödel’s incompleteness theorems can be inferred.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2023
As commissioners at the PUC monitored the situation, former chair DeAnne Walker inferred that ERCOT’s scarcity pricing model was not functioning because prices had not hit the $9,000 per megawatt-hour rate, the ruling states.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 17 Mar. 2023
This is the mysterious substance believed to make up around 85 percent of the matter in the universe despite not interacting with light and thus being almost invisible, with astronomers only able to infer dark matter through its influence on gravity.
—Robert Lea, Popular Mechanics, 7 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘infer.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle French or Latin; Middle French inferer, from Latin inferre, literally, to carry or bring into, from in- + ferre to carry — more at bear
First Known Use
1528, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of infer was
in 1528
Dictionary Entries Near infer
Cite this Entry
“Infer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infer. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on infer
Last Updated:
11 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
заключать, делать вывод, подразумевать, делать заключение, означать
глагол ↓
- заключать, делать заключение, вывод, выводить
from what do you infer that? — из чего ты это заключил? 
- означать, подразумевать
your silence infers consent — ваше молчание означает согласие
- разг. предполагать, догадываться
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
Примеры с переводом
It’s difficult to infer how these changes will affect ordinary citizens.
Трудно судить, как эти изменения повлияют на простых граждан.
Are you inferring that I’m wrong?
Вы намекаете, что я не прав? (разг. infer = imply)
What do you infer from the voting figures?
Какие выводы вы делаете из результатов голосования?
From the evidence we can infer that the victim knew her killer.
Исходя из имеющихся доказательств, мы можем сделать вывод, что жертва знала своего убийцу.
A lot can be inferred from these statistics.
Из этих статистических данных можно почерпнуть многое.
On the assumption that he has been injured we can infer that he will not play.
Исходя из того, что он травмирован, можно заключить, что играть он не будет.
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
… I infer that Swinburne found an adequate outlet for the creative impulse in his poetry … 
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
inferable — возможный в качестве вывода
inference — вывод, логический вывод, заключение, выведение, предположение, подразумеваемое
inferrable — выводимый, возможный в качестве вывода, заключения
infest — наводнять, кишеть
inferrible — возможный в качестве вывода
Формы слова
verb
I/you/we/they: infer
he/she/it: infers
ing ф. (present participle): inferring
2-я ф. (past tense): inferred
3-я ф. (past participle): inferred
- Top Definitions
- Synonyms
- Quiz
- Related Content
- Infer Vs. Imply
- Examples
- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
verb (used with object), in·ferred, in·fer·ring.
to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence: They inferred his displeasure from his cool tone of voice.
(of facts, circumstances, statements, etc.) to indicate or involve as a conclusion; lead to.
verb (used without object), in·ferred, in·fer·ring.
to draw a conclusion, as by reasoning.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of infer
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin inferre, equivalent to in- + ferre “to bring, carry, bear”; see origin at in-2, bear1
usage note for infer
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 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.
historical usage of infer
The English verb infer has always been used in logic to mean “to conclude by reasoning or from evidence.” It comes from the Latin verb inferre “to carry in, enter, introduce, inflict,” composed of the prefix in- “in, into” and ferre “to carry, bear.” Inferre meaning “to conclude, draw an inference, infer” is very rare in Latin, occurring only in the writings of Cicero (106–43 b.c.), Roman statesman and man of letters, and the great, commonsensical Roman rhetorician Quintilian (who lived about a.d. 35–95).
OTHER WORDS FROM infer
in·fer·a·ble, in·fer·ra·ble, adjectivein·fer·a·bly, adverbin·fer·rer, nounmis·in·fer, verb, mis·in·ferred, mis·in·fer·ring.
non·in·fer·a·ble, adjectivenon·in·fer·a·bly, adverbsub·in·fer, verb, sub·in·ferred, sub·in·fer·ring.un·in·fer·a·ble, adjective
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH infer
imply, infer (see usage note at the current entry)
Words nearby infer
infectious mononucleosis, infective, infecund, infelicitous, infelicity, infer, inference, inferencing, inferential, inferential statistics, inferior
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
INFER VS. IMPLY
What’s the difference between infer and imply?
Infer most commonly means to guess or use reasoning to come to a conclusion based on what has been suggested. To imply is to indicate or suggest something without actually stating it.
Infer and imply can be confused because they’re often used at opposite ends of the same situation. When someone implies something (suggests it without saying it explicitly), you have to infer their meaning (conclude what it is based on the hints that have been given).
For example, you might infer that your friend wants cake for their birthday because they keep talking about how much they like cake and reminding you that their birthday is coming up. Your friend didn’t actually ask for cake, but they implied that they want it by giving you hints. You used these hints to infer that they want cake.
Of course, there are situations in which you might infer something when nothing was implied or nothing was intended to be implied.
Probably due to the association between the two words, infer is sometimes used to mean the same thing as imply—to hint or suggest. Even though this can be confusing, the meaning of infer can usually be easily inferred from the context in which it’s used.
Here’s an example of infer and imply used correctly in a sentence.
Example: Even though he only implied that he may be in trouble, we correctly inferred that he was.
Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between infer and imply.
Quiz yourself on infer vs. imply!
Should infer or imply be used in the following sentence?
I ___ from your annoyed tone that you weren’t happy with your birthday cake.
Words related to infer
ascertain, assume, construe, deduce, derive, figure out, glean, guess, interpret, presume, presuppose, reckon, speculate, surmise, believe, collect, conjecture, draw, figure, gather
How to use infer in a sentence
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Such big-picture cultural observations are a jumping-off point to infer what colors, silhouettes, and fabrics will be the macro trends in fashion up to two years in advance.
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Their goal was to see if they could infer how the flat-toothed predators crushed their prey without disturbing their dinner time.
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To reconstruct how that happened, the researchers used bioinformatics to infer the ancestral sequences for about 550 chemokines in today’s animals.
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Now, various teams are developing new ways to infer exactly how the multiverse bubbles and what happens when those bubble universes collide.
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Once we know the projected scoring margin, we can infer an implied win percentage.
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And more I cannot explain/but you, from what I did not say/will infer what I do not say.
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Therefore, we can at least infer that the people of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes did not have a rigorous eugenics program like Sparta.
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I would tend to infer that I guess he is, however reluctantly.
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Some people chose to infer that we believed humans to be feeble-minded, which we never did.
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I infer from this that Dan Kois is not afflicted with lower back trouble.
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We should infer also from some of the early stage plays, that the «players» used the weed even when acting their parts.
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From this place some commentators infer that this king became a true convert, and dying not long after, was probably saved.
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We must not, however, infer that there was a large Egyptian element in the Canaanitish Pantheon.
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We infer from his writings that his age was degenerate and corrupt, but, as we have already said, his reproofs were gentle.
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We are left to infer that only thirteen out of 224 parishes were in such a state as the Bishop could approve.
British Dictionary definitions for infer
verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred (when tr, may take a clause as object)
to conclude (a state of affairs, supposition, etc) by reasoning from evidence; deduce
(tr) to have or lead to as a necessary or logical consequence; indicate
(tr) to hint or imply
Derived forms of infer
inferable, inferible, inferrable or inferrible, adjectiveinferably, adverbinferrer, noun
Word Origin for infer
C16: from Latin inferre to bring into, from ferre to bear, carry
usage for infer
The use of infer to mean imply is becoming more and more common in both speech and writing. There is nevertheless a useful distinction between the two which many people would be in favour of maintaining. To infer means `to deduce’, and is used in the construction to infer something from something : I inferred from what she said that she had not been well . To imply (sense 1) means `to suggest, to insinuate’ and is normally followed by a clause: are you implying that I was responsible for the mistake?
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other forms: inferred; infers; inferring
When you infer something, you read between the lines. To infer is to make a well informed guess — if you see your mom’s bag on the table, you might infer that she’s home.
When you infer, you listen closely to someone and guess at things they mean but haven’t actually said. It’s like guessing, but not making wild guesses. You’re making deductions — guesses based on logic. Another kind of inferring is more scientific, like when a scientist has part of a dinosaur fossil and can infer what the rest of the dinosaur looked like. When you see the word infer, think «educated guess.»
Definitions of infer
-
verb
conclude by reasoning; in logic
-
verb
reason by deduction; establish by deduction
-
verb
guess correctly; solve by guessing
-
verb
draw from specific cases for more general cases
-
verb
believe to be the case
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘infer’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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Commonly confused words
imply / infer
Imply and infer are opposites, like a throw and a catch. To imply is to hint at something, but to infer is to make an educated guess. The speaker does the implying, and the listener does the inferring.
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What does the word infer mean?
According to the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language as well as American Heritage and Collins English Dictionary, the word infer can either be used as a transitive verb or intransitive verb. This word means to derive as a conclusion from facts, as well as to guess or surmise. In short, inferring something means to draw inferences. Uses of infer include to draw deductions or implications from different premises, to hint at something, to to make a valuable distinction between two things. The intended sense of the proper word is to draw an inference. The pronunciation of infer is ɪnˈfɜːr. One will have to infer when there is ambiguity, and make a reasoned conclusion or logical consequence about something about which there may be no proof. This verb has many different tenses, including the present participle, past tense, and more. There are many laws of valid inference that are studied in logic, including a third type of inference from Charles Sanders Peirce, per Shabdkosh.
Many different languages also contain words that mean infer (vb.). You might notice that some of these translations of infer look similar to infer. These are called cognates, which are when words and phrases have a similar meaning and also look and sound similar between languages. These are often formed when two words have the same root or language of origin. This list of translations for the word infer is provided by Word Sense.
- Italian: inferire, dedurre, concludere, infliggere
- Occitan: inferir, dedusir, deduire, dedurre
- Dutch: concluderen
- Maori: hīkaro
- Greek: συμπεραίνω
- French: déduire
- Czech: vyvodit
- Russian: заключить (pf), сделать заключение, сделать вывод, вывести (pf)
- Latin: coniecto
- Swedish: sluta sig till
- Portuguese: inferir
- Hungarian: kikövetkeztet, dedukál
- Turkish: anlam çıkarmak, anlamına gelmek, anlamak, mana çıkarmak, manasına gelmek, sonucunu çıkarmak
- Spanish: inferir
- Polish: wnioskować, dedukować
- Romanian: motiva, deduce, infera
- German: schlussfolgern
What is the origin of the word infer?
According to Etymonline, the word infer (ɪnˈfɜr) had been used in logic since the 1520s and has a long history since the 16th century. This comes from the Latin inferre meaning to bring into. This comes from the Latin in from the Proto-Indo-European root en and the Latin ferre meaning to carry or bear from the Proto-Indo-European root bher meaning to carry or bear. This has been used to mean to draw a conclusion since the 1520s, and in an intransitive sense since the 1570s. Related words include the noun inference, the verb imply, and illative (adj.)/illatively (adv.).
How can the word infer be used in a sentence?
There are many situations in which you can use the verb infer in a sentence in both American English and UK English. Below are examples of infer.
From the candidate’s zeal on the phone, Thomas the recruiter could infer that she would accept the job offer.
The writers of unquestioned ability were unable to infer the author’s meaning based on the circumstances. They were not given enough information to be able to make a useful distinction.
Based on his cool tone of voice, the detective had the displeasure of knowing that the man committed the abduction. It was on this basis of information that he could infer logical conclusions about the particular premises where the man was keeping his victims.
The entire class was able to infer the universal conclusion that the professor at Princeton University was a liar.
The publishers at Harpercollins Publishers and Random House were able to infer that the author was not in the proper state of affairs to finish his book on medieval Latin.
The man came on to the woman in a suggestive manner, and she was able to infer that he was hitting on her.
The chef inferred that he did not have the right number of beans in the jar to make the soup. He sent his kitchen assistant to the market immediately.
What are synonyms and antonyms of the word infer?
There are many different words and phrases that a person can use in place of the word infer. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same definition as another given word or phrase. Learning synonyms is useful if you are trying to avoid repeating the same word or if you are trying to expand your English language vocabulary. This list of synonyms for the word infer is provided by Thesaurus.
- judge
- read into
- conclude
- glean
- believe
- figure
- draw inference
- ascertain
- read between lines
- guess
- understand
- arrive at
- presuppose
- induce
- reach conclusion
- intuit
- think
- draw
- surmise
- interpret
- derive
- deduce
- eminence
- figure out
- speculate
- reason
- presume
- collect
- suppose
- construe
- reckon
- conjecture
- assume
- gather
- supposition
There are also numerous different words and phrases that have the opposite meaning of the word infer (ɪnˈfɜː). These opposite words are called antonyms. Learning antonyms is another quick and easy way to expand your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word infer is also provided by Thesaurus.
- misreckon
- miss the point
- miss
- misread
- be perplexed
- get wrong
- misjudge
- confuse
- misconceive
- miscomprehend
- misapprehend
- misunderstand
- take amiss
- fail
- confound
- miscalculate
- take wrongly
- misconstrue
- misinterpret
- be bewildered
- get wrong impression
- get signals crossed
- misapply
- be confused
- misknow
- mistake
- get signals mixed
- be at cross purposes
- not register
Overall, the word infer means to draw a conclusion or inference. This verb has been used since the 16th c and is of Indo-European roots.
Sources:
- infer | Origin and meaning of infer | Online Etymology Dictionary
- infer: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense
- INFER Synonyms: 41 Synonyms & Antonyms for INFER | Thesaurus
- MISUNDERSTAND Synonyms: 36 Synonyms & Antonyms for MISUNDERSTAND
- Infer | Definition of Infer | Merriam-Webster
- infer – Meaning in Punjabi | Shabdkosh
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do’s and don’ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.