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suspect
[suh-spekt, suhs-pekt, suhs-pekt, suh-spekt]
verb (used with object)
to believe to be guilty, false, counterfeit, undesirable, defective, bad, etc., with little or no proof.
to suspect a person of murder.
to doubt or mistrust.
I suspect his motives.
to believe to be the case or to be likely or probable; surmise.
I suspect his knowledge did not amount to much.
Synonyms: , ,to have some hint or foreknowledge of.
I think she suspected the surprise.
verb (used without object)
to believe something, especially something evil or wrong, to be the case; have suspicion.
noun
a person who is suspected, especially one suspected of a crime, offense, or the like.
an animal or thing that is suspected to be the cause of something bad: The cause of the disease was not confirmed, but the suspect was an insect.
Investigators focused on faulty wiring as a suspect in the house fire.
The cause of the disease was not confirmed, but the suspect was an insect.
adjective
suspected; open to or under suspicion.
suspect
verb
(tr) to believe guilty of a specified offence without proof
(tr) to think false, questionable, etc
she suspected his sincerity
(tr; may take a clause as object) to surmise to be the case; think probable
to suspect fraud
(intr) to have suspicion
noun
a person who is under suspicion
adjective
causing or open to suspicion
Other Word Forms
- suspectible adjective
- nonsuspect noun
- presuspect verb (used with object)
- unsuspecting adjective
- unsuspectingly adverb
- ܲˈٱ noun
- ˈܲٱ adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of suspect1
Word History and Origins
Origin of suspect1
Idioms and Phrases
the usual suspects, the people, animals, or things that are commonly associated with a particular activity, situation, etc. (often used facetiously).
We visited a family farm with sheep and bunnies and roosters and goats—the usual suspects!
Example Sentences
Authorities said they recovered a target list from a vehicle used by the suspect that reportedly contained the names of several Democratic politicians who supported abortion rights, as well as abortion providers.
Police released photos of suspects they wanted the public to help identify in connection with the disorder.
Frantic relatives call the hospital looking for a missing loved one, or police arrive seeking their suspect.
Governor Tim Walz urged people not to attend protests until the suspect had been arrested but that did not stop thousands turning out.
His case is one of a tiny number among the tens of thousands of open war crimes cases where a suspect has been captured and can be made to stand in the dock.
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When To Use
Sus is a shortening of suspicious or suspect. In slang, it has the sense of "questionable" or "shady."
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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