Synonyms

suspend

American

[suh-spend] / səˈspɛnd /

verb (used with object)

to hang by attachment to something above.

to suspend a chandelier from the ceiling.
to attach so as to allow free movement.

to suspend a door on a hinge.
to keep from falling, sinking, forming a deposit, etc., as if by hanging.

to suspend solid particles in a liquid.
to hold or keep undetermined; refrain from forming or concluding definitely.

to suspend one's judgment.
to defer or postpone.

to suspend sentence on a convicted person.
to cause to cease or bring to a stop or stay, usually for a time.

to suspend payment.

Synonyms:

discontinue, intermit
to cause to cease for a time from operation or effect, as a law, rule, privilege, service, or the like.

to suspend ferry service.
to debar, usually for a limited time, from the exercise of an office or function or the enjoyment of a privilege.

The student was suspended from school.
to keep in a mood or feeling of expectation or incompleteness; keep waiting in suspense.

Finish the story; don't suspend us in midair.
Music. to prolong (a note or tone) into the next chord.

verb (used without object)

to come to a stop, usually temporarily; cease from operation for a time.
to stop payment; be unable to meet financial obligations.
to hang or be suspended, as from another object.

The chandelier suspends from the ceiling.
to be suspended, as in a liquid, gas, etc.

suspend British

/ səˈspɛnd /

verb

(tr) to hang from above so as to permit free movement
(tr; passive) to cause to remain floating or hanging

a cloud of smoke was suspended over the town
(tr) to render inoperative or cause to cease, esp temporarily

to suspend interest payments
(tr) to hold in abeyance; postpone action on

to suspend a decision
(tr) to debar temporarily from privilege, office, etc, as a punishment
(tr) chem to cause (particles) to be held in suspension in a fluid
(tr) music to continue (a note) until the next chord is sounded, with which it usually forms a dissonance See suspension
(intr) to cease payment, as from incapacity to meet financial obligations
obsolete (tr) to put or keep in a state of anxiety or wonder
obsolete (intr) to be attached from above

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does suspend mean? Suspend most commonly means to cause to stop, to bring to a stop, to withhold, or to postpone, as in The bank has suspended payments or All activities have been suspended until further notice. It also commonly means to hang something by attaching it to something else, especially with ropes or cables, as in We need to suspend the banner from the ceiling. More specifically, suspend can mean to officially punish someone, such as an employee, student, or athlete, so that they are not allowed to participate in an activity for a certain period of time, as in He was suspended for five games for fighting. A person punished in this way is said to be suspended. The noun form suspension can be used for most senses of suspend to refer to an instance or the process of suspending.

Synonym Usage

See interrupt.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of suspend

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English suspenden, from Latin suspendere “to hang up,” equivalent to sus- sus- + pendere (transitive) “to hang” ( see pend, suspense)

Explanation

You can use the verb suspend any time you need to stop something. Whether it’s your judgment, a rule, or bus service, when you suspend it, you temporarily bring it to a halt. Suspend often describes stopping an activity for a while. A winter storm, for example, may suspend air travel until weather conditions improve. Suspend also works in a more figurative sense, such as when you suspend your doubt in order to give someone or something a fair chance. A student who is suspended is temporarily forbidden from attending class. Don't confuse this with expel, which means he or she may never return.

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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.

In a ruling on Friday, a federal judge ordered the justice department to suspend the fund to allow for a lawsuit against it to move forward.

From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026

At one point, Iran agreed to export its highly enriched uranium and to suspend all enrichment for five years.

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026

In short, it is unlikely that the global powers will suspend their rivalries in order to concentrate on the existential risks to mankind.

From MarketWatch • May 31, 2026

UC gained national attention in May 2020 when regents unanimously voted to suspend SAT and ACT testing requirements and eliminate them entirely by 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

But what excited scientists most was that freezing gave them a means to suspend cells in various states of being.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023