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
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
And for inference, there is expected to be increasing amounts of competition in chips.
—Nathan Bomey, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025
High-performance tasks, such as AI inference, are assigned to powerful hardware, while lighter processes like analytics run on common devices.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
As the cost of AI training and inference decreases, businesses of all sizes could affordably integrate AI into their operations, broadening the technology’s adoption and enabling new use cases.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 27 Jan. 2025
Generating more answers requires more time, which means the inference process takes longer.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inference
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Nathan Bomey, Axios, 25 Feb. 2025
High-performance tasks, such as AI inference, are assigned to powerful hardware, while lighter processes like analytics run on common devices.
—Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
As the cost of AI training and inference decreases, businesses of all sizes could affordably integrate AI into their operations, broadening the technology’s adoption and enabling new use cases.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 27 Jan. 2025
Generating more answers requires more time, which means the inference process takes longer.
—Lauren Leffer, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for inference
Cite this Entry
“Inference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inference. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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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