Infer
/ɪnˈfɜːr/
Definitions
To conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning; to deduce.
/ɪnˈfɜːr/
To deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements.
I can infer from her silence that she is upset.
💡 Simply: Imagine you see someone with a wet umbrella and rain boots. You can *infer* that it's probably raining outside, even if you don't see it yourself. It's like making a smart guess using clues!
👶 For kids: To guess something by thinking about the clues.
More Examples
The detective inferred the killer's motive from the victim's diary.
Based on the data, researchers inferred a correlation between exercise and better health.
How It's Used
"From the evidence, we can infer that the suspect was present at the scene."
"The jury will infer the defendant's guilt if the prosecution presents enough compelling evidence."
"Scientists often infer the existence of things they cannot directly observe, such as black holes."
Idioms & expressions
infer from
To conclude something from a specific source or piece of evidence.
"We can infer from his tone of voice that he's not happy with the results."
From Latin *inferre* ('to bring in, deduce'), from *in-* ('in, on') + *ferre* ('to carry, bear').
The word 'infer' has been used since the 14th century to describe the act of deducing or concluding from evidence.
Memory tip
Think of Sherlock Holmes. He *infers* things based on clues (like footprints or a missing button).
Word Origin
"to bring in, deduce"