Inferred

/ɪnˈfɜːrd/

verbmediumCommonLegal

Definitions

1

To deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements.

/ɪnˈfɜːrd/

verbneutralmedium
Legal

To conclude something from evidence and reasoning rather than explicit statements.

From the clues, we inferred the thief had entered through the back door.

💡 Simply: It's like when you read a story, and you figure out what's happening even if the writer doesn't directly tell you. Like, you see smoke and know there's probably a fire even if no one says it.

👶 For kids: To guess something based on clues, like figuring out what your friend is thinking from the look on their face.

More Examples

2

The audience was left to infer the meaning of the ambiguous ending.

3

Based on the evidence, the jury inferred the defendant's guilt.

How It's Used

General

"The detective inferred the suspect was lying from his inconsistent statements."

Scientific

"Scientists infer the existence of dark matter based on gravitational effects."

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 Middle English *inferren*, from Latin *inferre* (“to bring in, introduce, imply”), from *in-* (“in, into”) + *ferre* (“to bear, carry”).

The verb 'infer' has been used since the 14th century and was originally associated with logic and reasoning.

Memory tip

Think of a detective piecing together clues to INFER the culprit.

inferedinferrd

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written