sec·ond-guess (s?k??nd-g?s?)v. sec·ond-guessed, sec·ond-guess·ing, sec·ond-guess·es v.tr.1. To criticize or correct after an outcome is known: “One hesitates to second-guess the jury’s judgment from a distance of more than sixty years” (Ira Stoll).2. To criticize, contradict, or overrule (a decision or one who has made a decision): “When he wants to prescribe costly but powerful medicines, faraway HMO clerks second-guess his drug choices” (George Anders). “Sometimes [General Halleck] second-guessed Grant and aired his objections to instructions instead of immediately transmitting them” (Brooks D. Simpson).3. a. To outguess.b. To predict or anticipate: “She can second-guess indictments” (Scott Turow).v.intr. To criticize a decision, especially after its outcome is known.sec?ond-guess?er n.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.second-guess vb 1. to criticize or evaluate with hindsight 2. to attempt to anticipate or predict (a person or thing) ?second-?guesser nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014sec?ond-guess? v.t. 1. to use hindsight in criticizing or correcting. 2. to outguess. [1945?50] sec?ond-guess?er, n. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.second-guessPast participle: second-guessedGerund: second-guessingImperativePresentPreteritePresent ContinuousPresent PerfectPast ContinuousPast PerfectFutureFuture PerfectFuture ContinuousPresent Perfect ContinuousFuture Perfect ContinuousPast Perfect ContinuousConditionalPast ConditionalImperativesecond-guesssecond-guessPresentI second-guessyou second-guesshe/she/it second-guesseswe second-guessyou second-guessthey second-guessPreteriteI second-guessedyou second-guessedhe/she/it second-guessedwe second-guessedyou second-guessedthey second-guessedPresent ContinuousI am second-guessingyou are second-guessinghe/she/it is second-guessingwe are second-guessingyou are second-guessingthey are second-guessingPresent PerfectI have second-guessedyou have second-guessedhe/she/it has second-guessedwe have second-guessedyou have second-guessedthey have second-guessedPast ContinuousI was second-guessingyou were second-guessinghe/she/it was second-guessingwe were second-guessingyou were second-guessingthey were second-guessingPast PerfectI had second-guessedyou had second-guessedhe/she/it had second-guessedwe had second-guessedyou had second-guessedthey had second-guessedFutureI will second-guessyou will second-guesshe/she/it will second-guesswe will second-guessyou will second-guessthey will second-guessFuture PerfectI will have second-guessedyou will have second-guessedhe/she/it will have second-guessedwe will have second-guessedyou will have second-guessedthey will have second-guessedFuture ContinuousI will be second-guessingyou will be second-guessinghe/she/it will be second-guessingwe will be second-guessingyou will be second-guessingthey will be second-guessingPresent Perfect ContinuousI have been second-guessingyou have been second-guessinghe/she/it has been second-guessingwe have been second-guessingyou have been second-guessingthey have been second-guessingFuture Perfect ContinuousI will have been second-guessingyou will have been second-guessinghe/she/it will have been second-guessingwe will have been second-guessingyou will have been second-guessingthey will have been second-guessingPast Perfect ContinuousI had been second-guessingyou had been second-guessinghe/she/it had been second-guessingwe had been second-guessingyou had been second-guessingthey had been second-guessingConditionalI would second-guessyou would second-guesshe/she/it would second-guesswe would second-guessyou would second-guessthey would second-guessPast ConditionalI would have second-guessedyou would have second-guessedhe/she/it would have second-guessedwe would have second-guessedyou would have second-guessedthey would have second-guessedCollins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011