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second-guess

[ sek-uh nd-ges ]

/ ˈsɛk əndˈgɛs /

verb (used with object)

to use hindsight in criticizing or correcting.

to predict (something) or outguess (someone): We must try to second-guess what he'll do next.

Origin of second-guess

First recorded in 1945–50

OTHER WORDS FROM second-guess

sec·ond-guess·er, noun

Words nearby second-guess

second-class citizen, second-degree burn, second-degree murder, second-foot, second-generation, second-guess, second-hand, second-homer, second-rate, second-story, second-story man

Example sentences from the Web for second-guess

Eisenhower, of course, was rather difficult to second-guess on such matters.

Please—Let's Not Destroy ISIS |Michael Tomasky |September 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Rosensaft, the son of Holocaust survivors, added: “I am not going to second-guess from afar who he meets with.”

Pope Francis’s Sister Souljah Moment? |Evan Gahr |May 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
But financiers who second-guess management about the details of company operations may be over-reaching.

Welcome to the Golden Age of Activist Investors |CNBC |August 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
And even EMS dispatch vets, generally reluctant to second-guess the work of one of their own, have piled on.

Amanda Berry’s 911 Dispatcher Under Fire for Blasé Response |David Freedlander |May 7, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

The incentives for the police and the government are pretty clear, and I'm not willing to second-guess them.

Should the Police Have Shut Boston Down? |Megan McArdle |April 19, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for second-guess

second-guess

verb informal

to criticize or evaluate with hindsight

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

Derived forms of second-guess

second-guesser, noun