deduce
Say it: dih-DYOOS /dɪˈdjuːs/ · verb
What “deduce” means
Work out a conclusion from facts you already know.
More precisely: To reach a conclusion by reasoning from known facts.
Example: “From the sand in the car, she deduced he'd skipped work for the beach.”
When to use it
When you combine known facts to work something out. Useful in everyday explanations, detective stories and more formal reasoning.
Similar words
infer, conclude, work out
Where it comes from
From Latin deducere, 'to lead down'.
Quick check
Only your cat was in the kitchen, and fresh pawprints lead from the spilled flour to its bed. What can you do?
deduce or guess?
Show the answer
deduce
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