From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishinferencein‧fer‧ence /ˈɪnfərəns/ ●○○ AWL noun 1 [countable]MEANING something that you think is true, based on information that you havedraw/make inferences (about/from something) What inferences have you drawn from this evidence?2 [uncountable]MEANING when someone infers somethingby inference He was portrayed as a hero and, by inference, Thompson as the villain. —inferential /ˌɪnfəˈrenʃəl◂/ adjective inferential evidence —inferentially adverb
Examples from the Corpus
draw/make inferences (about/from something)• The comparison of these few-country studies demonstrates the importance of case selection and unit of analysis for drawing inferences.• Comparing many countries is the best method for drawing inferences that have more global applicability.• The chapter outlines each method and discusses how each is useful for drawing inferences.• We must make inferences about the health status of the survivors from these data.• Evolutionary theorising is a matter of making inferences to the best explanation.• Questions about the validity of making inferences from a small number of cases have been asked, for example.• Similarly we can only make inferences about the nature of learning from observing these changes.• Have the students make inferences about and discuss human influence on their environment.by inference• They portrayed her as the hero, and by inference , Mr. Thompson as the villain. 