suspect
verb (used with object)
to believe to be guilty, false, counterfeit, undesirable, defective, bad, etc., with little or no proof.
had suspected
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past perfectof suspect.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Scientists had suspected that this network would play an important role in logical reasoning.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Clement Delangue, CEO of Hugging Face, said on X that the company had suspected the cyberattack had come from a world-leading AI lab, given the sophistication of the agent.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
He was then very confused when he received the warning letter last month and initially thought that the DMV had suspected him of cheating because he completed the test very quickly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Former New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart, who is running for governor of Connecticut, said she had suspected Stanley’s last hometown plant was marked for closure but never got a straight answer from the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
As they gathered, Emma learned that Hensleigh’s wife Fanny had suspected what had occurred.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
