second-guess

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sec·ond-guess

(sĕk′ənd-gĕs′)

v. sec·ond-guessed, sec·ond-guess·ing, sec·ond-guess·es

v.tr.

1. To criticize or correct after an outcome is known: "One hesitates to second-guess the jury's judgment from a distance of more than sixty years" (Ira Stoll).

2. To criticize, contradict, or overrule (a decision or one who has made a decision): "When he wants to prescribe costly but powerful medicines, faraway HMO clerks second-guess his drug choices" (George Anders). "Sometimes [General Halleck] second-guessed Grant and aired his objections to instructions instead of immediately transmitting them" (Brooks D. Simpson).

a. To outguess.

b. To predict or anticipate: "She can second-guess indictments" (Scott Turow).

v.intr.

To criticize a decision, especially after its outcome is known.

sec′ond-guess′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

second-guess

1. to criticize or evaluate with hindsight

2. to attempt to anticipate or predict (a person or thing)

ˈsecond-ˈguesser n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sec′ond-guess′

v.t.

1. to use hindsight in criticizing or correcting.

2. to outguess.

[1945–50]

sec′ond-guess′er, n.

second-guess

Past participle: second-guessed
Gerund: second-guessing

Imperative
second-guess
second-guess

Present
I second-guess
you second-guess
he/she/it second-guesses
we second-guess
you second-guess
they second-guess

Preterite
I second-guessed
you second-guessed
he/she/it second-guessed
we second-guessed
you second-guessed
they second-guessed

Present Continuous
I am second-guessing
you are second-guessing
he/she/it is second-guessing
we are second-guessing
you are second-guessing
they are second-guessing

Present Perfect
I have second-guessed
you have second-guessed
he/she/it has second-guessed
we have second-guessed
you have second-guessed
they have second-guessed

Past Continuous
I was second-guessing
you were second-guessing
he/she/it was second-guessing
we were second-guessing
you were second-guessing
they were second-guessing

Past Perfect
I had second-guessed
you had second-guessed
he/she/it had second-guessed
we had second-guessed
you had second-guessed
they had second-guessed

Future
I will second-guess
you will second-guess
he/she/it will second-guess
we will second-guess
you will second-guess
they will second-guess

Future Perfect
I will have second-guessed
you will have second-guessed
he/she/it will have second-guessed
we will have second-guessed
you will have second-guessed
they will have second-guessed

Future Continuous
I will be second-guessing
you will be second-guessing
he/she/it will be second-guessing
we will be second-guessing
you will be second-guessing
they will be second-guessing

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been second-guessing
you have been second-guessing
he/she/it has been second-guessing
we have been second-guessing
you have been second-guessing
they have been second-guessing

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been second-guessing
you will have been second-guessing
he/she/it will have been second-guessing
we will have been second-guessing
you will have been second-guessing
they will have been second-guessing

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been second-guessing
you had been second-guessing
he/she/it had been second-guessing
we had been second-guessing
you had been second-guessing
they had been second-guessing

Conditional
I would second-guess
you would second-guess
he/she/it would second-guess
we would second-guess
you would second-guess
they would second-guess

Past Conditional
I would have second-guessed
you would have second-guessed
he/she/it would have second-guessed
we would have second-guessed
you would have second-guessed
they would have second-guessed

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	second-guess - attempt to anticipate or predict outguess forebode, predict, prognosticate, foretell, promise, anticipate, call - make a prediction about; tell in advance; "Call the outcome of an election"
	2.	second-guess - evaluate or criticize with hindsight comment - explain or interpret something

Translations

second-guess

[ˌsɛk/əndˈgɛs] vt (esp) (Am) (fam) (predict) → anticipare; (after the event) → giudicare col senno di poi

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

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