1. (v. i.) To consider; to meditate; to contemplate; to theorize; as, to speculate on questions in religion\; to speculate on political events.

2. (v. i.) To view subjects from certain premises given or assumed, and infer conclusions respecting them a priori.

3. (v. i.) To purchase with the expectation of a contingent advance in value, and a consequent sale at a profit; -- often, in a somewhat depreciative sense, of unsound or hazardous transactions; as, to speculate in coffee, in sugar, or in bank stock.

4. (v. t.) To consider attentively; as, to speculate the nature of a thing.

be abstracted be caught short be short belong brood bucket bucketshop buy in buy into call cast a horoscope cast a nativity cast lots cerebrate chew over chew the cud cogitate consider contemplate cut lots cut the cards debate deliberate deposit margin digest divine dope dope out dowse for water draw lots draw straws entertain a theory espouse a theory evaluate excogitate financier forebode forecast foresee foretell fortune-tell gamble game go long guess hariolate have a theory hold on hypothesize introspect invest invest in judge lay out money lot make a killing make a prediction make a prognosis make a prophecy make a scoop make an investment margin up match coins meditate miss the market mull over muse operate overstay the market perpend place play play around with play at dice play the market play the ponies play with plow back into plunge ponder ponder over postulate predict prefigure presage prognosticate prophesy put pyramid raffle off read palms read tea leaves read the future reason reflect reinvest review risk ruminate scalp scoop the market shoot craps sink sink money in soothsay sport stag stag the market study take a chance take a flier tell fortunes tell the future theorize toss toy with trade on margin vaticinate venture wager weigh wonder about