suggest
Americanverb (used with object)
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suggests,
present (3rd person singular)
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suggested,
past participle, past
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suggesting
present participle
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to mention or introduce (an idea, proposition, plan, etc.) for consideration or possible action.
The architect suggested that the building be restored.
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to propose (a person or thing) as suitable or possible for some purpose.
We suggested him for president.
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(of things) to prompt the consideration, making, doing, etc., of.
The glove suggests that she was at the scene of the crime.
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to bring before a person's mind indirectly or without plain expression.
I didn't tell him to leave, I only suggested it.
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to call (something) up in the mind through association or natural connection of ideas.
The music suggests a still night.
verb
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to put forward (a plan, idea, etc) for consideration
I suggest Smith for the post
a plan suggested itself
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to evoke (a person, thing, etc) in the mind of someone by the association of ideas
that painting suggests home to me
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to give an indirect or vague hint of
his face always suggests his peace of mind
Synonym Usage
See hint.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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suggestednessnoun
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suggesternoun
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presuggestverb (used with object)
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unsuggestedadjective
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unsuggestingadjective
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suggestinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suggestsimple
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suggestssimple
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have suggestedperfect
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has suggestedperfect
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am suggestingprogressive
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are suggestingprogressive
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is suggestingprogressive
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have been suggestingperfect progressive
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has been suggestingperfect progressive
Past
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suggestedsimple
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had suggestedperfect
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was suggestingprogressive
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were suggestingprogressive
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had been suggestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suggest
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin suggestus (past participle of suggerere “to build up, supply, hint, suggest”), equivalent to sug- sug- + ges- (past participle stem of gerere “to carry, do, display”) + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To suggest is to propose or hint. If you suggest going out for ice cream, nobody's going to object. If you suggest that your sister should get the frozen yogurt instead, she might think you are suggesting something about her weight. The verb suggest is also used when people speak about scientific research. Experimental results are often used to suggest whether a theory might be correct. For example, if a patient takes a new drug and starts feeling better, that will suggest the drug is working. Suggest can also mean to drop a hint. If you find a polite way to suggest that the pot roast is inedible, you don't come out and declare it directly. You wouldn't want to hurt Mom's feelings.
Vocabulary lists containing suggest
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 2
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 1
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PARCC: Language of the Test (Grade7)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The mysteries surrounding Sanxingdui have spawned even more outlandish questions: Do the enormous protruding eyes and enigmatic smiles featured on the figures suggest the ancient people were extraterrestrials?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Pictures published by German media suggest the drone was a relatively small device which airport staff spotted "floating" between the Ukrainian planes.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
To help you enjoy it, my colleagues suggest:
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
“If even directionally accurate, this would suggest that the current favorable pricing environment is unlikely to normalize any time soon,” Slowinski said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
‘Perhaps they swapped addresses so they could keep in touch,’ I suggest.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The guidance suggests applicants for new licences should aim for "a predominantly seated operation with fixed seating", alongside waiter service replacing vertical drinking and restrictions on customers consuming alcohol while standing.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
“This suggests Australian supply should improve over the course of 2026,” Jefferies says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
This combination suggests that the microorganisms are not simply biological remains from the distant past.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
On Thursday, Michigan officials said the state’s data now suggests that, “new cyclosporiasis case reports are slowing, including a downward trend in diarrhea-related emergency department visits.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Maybe we should do 2 dogs,” Levi suggests.
From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty
The officers also suggested in the D.A.’s motion Flores was a habitual liar.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Pozen’s suggested 90/10 portfolio is just another guideline, Milan noted.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Full pieces of music could be suggested by moving around an arrangement of slats on which were written various notes and rhythms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
For some, they suggested, survival could be several times longer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
I suggested we camp out in the woods behind the Drysdale house, though it was with some hesitation.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Several House members nevertheless expressed reservations about the bill, suggesting that passage in the lower chamber could be more difficult than in the Senate.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Investors in a firm called Late Stage Management say their expected returns vanished after the firm claimed it sold their underlying shares years ago—despite online portals and tax documents suggesting otherwise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
AppLovin’s stock was one of the S&P 500’s biggest decliners on Thursday, as investors reacted not just to underwhelming earnings but also to new information suggesting that the company’s artificial-intelligence models aren’t competitive enough.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
These sections of the 1956 Act were not included in the government's list of exclusions, suggesting prisoners convicted of these crimes could qualify for the early release scheme.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
But Dijksterhuis is suggesting the opposite: that maybe that big computer in our brain that handles our unconscious is at its best when it has to juggle many competing variables.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
