Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1941, back-formation from second-guesser (1937), American English, originally baseball slang for a fan who loudly questions decisions by players, managers, etc.; perhaps from guesser in the baseball slang sense of "umpire."
Wiktionary
vb. (context idiomatic US English) to vet or evaluate; to criticize or correct, often by hindsight, by presuming to have a better idea, method, etc.
WordNet
v. attempt to anticipate or predict [syn: outguess]
evaluate or criticize with hindsight
Usage examples of "second-guess".
The Deified were at their meddlesome worst, carping and second-guessing.
What kind of care could people come to expect from doctors who were forced to work in the current malpractice milieu and who had to restrain their best instincts and second-guess their every step?
Rapid events required rapid responses: the needed consensus could only be reached in a free-form setting unencumbered by snail-paced bureaucracy, cabinet-level politicking, and endless second-guessing of timid analysts.
Marak had a few notorious flash points: deception in his contacts, mechanical devices in general, and Ian second-guessing his firm decisions at the head of the list.
Too late to second-guess now, but the next time anyone tried to tap him for interuniversal service .
Oh, yes, I know that it is popular to blame everything on him and to call him everything from traitor to mad dog, but I still think he was both wise and benevoler I don't care how many second-guessing historians di agree with me.
He was no bladesmith, just a dumb engineer trying to figure out how to counterfeit a workable sword while no one was around to second-guess him if his idea didn't work-using questionable techniques in an even more questionable environment.
Second-guessed regs all the time, did what he felt like doing and managed to come up smelling like a rose because he had admirers in the right places.
Who wants to explore Mars and find their every move second-guessed by couch potatoes -- all watching the 21st Century on their 3D TVs in well-warmed, surround-sound cocoons a hundred million miles away?
A simple infinite regression of second-guessing and double-thinking has dismissed those.
Because to know one's mind means that one will not do anything for a harebrained reason, or trip oneself up because of uncertainty or second-guessing.
Because to know one's mind means that one will not do anything for a harebrained reason, or trip one-self up because of uncertainty or second-guessing.
They are afraid, even as they come after me, but instead of a healthy respect, their fear is almost paralyzing, making them continuously second-guess their own every move.
Still reeling from Anakin's death, he could not help second-guessing himself, reexamining his decision to let his nephew embark on such a dangerous mission.
They second-guessed from screeching journalism, demanded to know why containment wasn't an option, and so on.