suspend
Americanverb (used with object)
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to hang by attachment to something above.
to suspend a chandelier from the ceiling.
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to attach so as to allow free movement.
to suspend a door on a hinge.
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to keep from falling, sinking, forming a deposit, etc., as if by hanging.
to suspend solid particles in a liquid.
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to hold or keep undetermined; refrain from forming or concluding definitely.
to suspend one's judgment.
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to defer or postpone.
to suspend sentence on a convicted person.
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to cause to cease or bring to a stop or stay, usually for a time.
to suspend payment.
- Synonyms:
- discontinue, intermit
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to cause to cease for a time from operation or effect, as a law, rule, privilege, service, or the like.
to suspend ferry service.
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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.
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to keep in a mood or feeling of expectation or incompleteness; keep waiting in suspense.
Finish the story; don't suspend us in midair.
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Music. to prolong (a note or tone) into the next chord.
verb (used without object)
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to come to a stop, usually temporarily; cease from operation for a time.
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to stop payment; be unable to meet financial obligations.
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to hang or be suspended, as from another object.
The chandelier suspends from the ceiling.
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to be suspended, as in a liquid, gas, etc.
verb
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(tr) to hang from above so as to permit free movement
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(tr; passive) to cause to remain floating or hanging
a cloud of smoke was suspended over the town
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(tr) to render inoperative or cause to cease, esp temporarily
to suspend interest payments
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(tr) to hold in abeyance; postpone action on
to suspend a decision
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(tr) to debar temporarily from privilege, office, etc, as a punishment
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(tr) chem to cause (particles) to be held in suspension in a fluid
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(tr) music to continue (a note) until the next chord is sounded, with which it usually forms a dissonance See suspension
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(intr) to cease payment, as from incapacity to meet financial obligations
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obsolete (tr) to put or keep in a state of anxiety or wonder
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obsolete (intr) to be attached from above
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.
Related Words
See interrupt.
Other Word Forms
- presuspend verb (used with object)
- resuspend verb
- suspendibility noun
- suspendible adjective
- unsuspendible adjective
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” ( pend, suspense )
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.
Twenty-three vehicles used on the exercise were already suspended for use due to the injuries, with the results of inspections on them to be published in the New Year.
From BBC
As William “Buck” Rogers, Gerard played a 20th century astronaut who had come out of suspended animation 500 years in the future, only to discover a planet in ruins.
From Los Angeles Times
Slovakia's constitutional court on Wednesday announced that it had suspended a law abolishing the country's whistleblower protection office, after protests in recent days.
From Barron's
Guinean authorities have not commented on the status of two other parties suspended in August.
From Barron's
Disney suspended the show, but brought “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back a few days later.
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.
