speculator
noun
spec·u·la·tor
ˈspe-kyə-ˌlā-tər 
plural speculators
: someone who speculates: such as
a
: a person who thinks or guesses especially in an idle or casual way about something that is unknown or uncertain
I sat Friday night in the dining room in front of my laptop, the TV in the next room flitting among experts and speculators about what happened in Paris …—
Scott Martelle
Scott Martelle"… All that we ought to ask, therefore, is, that the witnesses of our conduct, and the speculators on our motives, should be capable of taking the highest view which the circumstances of the case may admit. …"—Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne
b
: a person who makes a relatively risky investment in something (such as stocks or real estate) in the hope of making a large short-term profit from market fluctuations
futures/currency speculators
By the late 1870s Edward Pray was living in New York City, still interested in mining but instead now as a speculator in mining stocks.—Willa Kane
Willa KaneOver the years, many houses have been bought by speculators or real estate companies and rented out.—Margaret Gillerman
Margaret GillermanExamples of speculator in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Count the times speculators lived to regret shorting what’s still the center of the financial universe in the last 30 years.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Deserts support abundant, diverse plant and animal life that can’t be found anywhere else, provide speculator views, and offer a vast landscape free of other people.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 27 Mar. 2025
Land speculators and companies carved up large territories into family-sized plots to sell at affordable prices to the growing ranks of settlers and their many children.
— Made By History, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025
Gilbert also bought nearby buildings to make sure they wouldn't be scooped by speculators or left to decay.
—Nick Halter, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculator
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William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025
Deserts support abundant, diverse plant and animal life that can’t be found anywhere else, provide speculator views, and offer a vast landscape free of other people.
—Wes Siler, Outside Online, 27 Mar. 2025
Land speculators and companies carved up large territories into family-sized plots to sell at affordable prices to the growing ranks of settlers and their many children.
— Made By History, TIME, 25 Mar. 2025
Gilbert also bought nearby buildings to make sure they wouldn't be scooped by speculators or left to decay.
—Nick Halter, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for speculator
Cite this Entry
“Speculator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/speculator. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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