What does inferring mean?
Inferring means reaching a conclusion through reasoning or by interpreting evidence, clues, and circumstances. It is commonly used when someone draws an implication from available information rather than receiving the conclusion directly. For example, a reader may be inferring a character’s anxiety from unusually quiet speech, while an investigator may be inferring that two events are connected from their timing. The word is broadly used in British and American English and has a neutral, analytical tone. Although “infer” and “imply” are sometimes confused, they generally point in different directions: a speaker implies by communicating indirectly, while a listener infers by reasoning. “Inferring” is the present participle and gerund form of “infer,” so it commonly appears in continuous constructions such as “is inferring” and “was inferring.”
verb (present participle/gerund)Forming or reaching a conclusion from reasoning, evidence, or clues. In this form, it usually follows the auxiliary “be” in continuous constructions.
- To reach a conclusion from reasoning, evidence, clues, or prior knowledge.
- To suggest or imply that something is the case, especially when the conclusion is drawn from indirect evidence.
"The detective spent hours inferring the thief’s movements from the scattered footprints."
"By comparing the timestamps in the two reports, the analyst was inferring that the messages had been edited."
"The unusual silence from the defendant led the jury to inferring that he was hiding something."
The word “infer” is often confused with “imply”: a clue may let you infer the answer, while a speaker’s statement may merely imply it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does inferring come from?
“Infer” comes from Latin inferre, meaning “to carry into” or “to bring in,” formed from in- (“into”) and ferre (“to carry”). In English, the verb developed the sense of drawing a conclusion from evidence or reasoning during the 16th and 17th centuries. The noun “inference” and the adjective “inferential” were formed from the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How inferring is actually used
“Inferring” is the -ing form of “infer.” It is commonly used after “is,” “are,” “was,” “were,” “been,” or other forms of “be,” as in “is inferring.” In careful formal writing, use “infer” when the act of reasoning is meant rather than the process: “We inferred that the change was deliberate.”