deduce
dih-DOOSverbMeaning to reach a conclusion by reasoning from facts
Memory hook de-DUCKS: crumbs on whose beak?. The bread is gone, and one duck has crumbs all over its beak. Zoe didn’t see it happen, but she can deduce who ate it.
From the crumbs on his shirt, Mom deduced who had eaten the last cookie.
In context No one told the detective where the thief had gone, but she deduced it from the clues: wet footprints, an open window and a missing umbrella.
Similar infer, reason, conclude, work out
Opposite guess
From Latin deducere, “to lead down”: de (down, from) + ducere (to lead); reasoning leads you from the facts to the answer.