inference
noun
in·fer·ence
ˈin-f(ə-)rən(t)s 
-fərn(t)s
1
: something that is inferred
especially
: a conclusion or opinion that is formed because of known facts or evidence
2
: the act or process of inferring (see infer): such as
a
: the act of passing from one proposition, statement, or judgment considered as true to another whose truth is believed to follow from that of the former
b
: the act of passing from statistical sample data to generalizations (as of the value of population parameters) usually with calculated degrees of certainty
3
: the premises and conclusion of a process of inferring
Synonyms
Examples of inference in a Sentence
In spite of the fact that there are virtually no controlled clinical trials examining the effects of obesity in people, we can make some inferences from animal research.
—
Patrick Johnson, Skeptical Inquirer, September/October 2005
We cannot see a past event directly, but science is usually based on inference, not unvarnished observation (you don't see electrons, gravity, or black holes either).
—Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989
The writer of science fiction extends or projects or draws inferences from what is known and accepted.
—Karl Kroeber, Romantic Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1988
Its existence is only known by inference.
The program uses records of past purchases to make inferences about what customers will buy in the future.
What inference can we draw from these facts?
Patrick Johnson, Skeptical Inquirer, September/October 2005
We cannot see a past event directly, but science is usually based on inference, not unvarnished observation (you don't see electrons, gravity, or black holes either).
—Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989
The writer of science fiction extends or projects or draws inferences from what is known and accepted.
—Karl Kroeber, Romantic Fantasy and Science Fiction, 1988
Its existence is only known by inference.
The program uses records of past purchases to make inferences about what customers will buy in the future.
What inference can we draw from these facts?
Recent Examples on the Web
From a political perspective, there are similarities in that it could be said that only the wealthier members of society opt to pay for private medical care, with the inference being those people can therefore pay additional tax.
—Robert Marchant, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Despite vows to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict before his inauguration day, if elected, Trump offers no explanation as to how—besides uncomfortable inferences of his close relationship with Putin.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Stephen Henriques, TIME, 15 Oct. 2024
The next decade will be about new infrastructure solutions that can provide scale, performance, resilience and security for the models and the inference endpoints at the heart of enterprise AI applications.
—Thomas Cornely, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
These models use a small fraction of their total parameters for inference.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inference 
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Robert Marchant, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Despite vows to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict before his inauguration day, if elected, Trump offers no explanation as to how—besides uncomfortable inferences of his close relationship with Putin.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Stephen Henriques, TIME, 15 Oct. 2024
The next decade will be about new infrastructure solutions that can provide scale, performance, resilience and security for the models and the inference endpoints at the heart of enterprise AI applications.
—Thomas Cornely, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
These models use a small fraction of their total parameters for inference.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for inference
Dictionary Entries Near inference
Cite this Entry
“Inference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inference. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
inference
noun
in·fer·ence
ˈin-f(ə-)rən(t)s
1
: the act or process of inferring
2
: something inferred
Legal Definition
inference
noun
in·fer·ence
ˈin-fə-rəns
1
: the act or process of inferring
specifically
: the act of passing from one proposition, statement, or judgment considered as true to another whose truth is believed to follow logically from that of the former
2
: something inferred
especially
: a proposition arrived at by inference see also permissive presumption at presumption
3
: the premises and conclusions of a process of inferring
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