suggest
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to mention or introduce (an idea, proposition, plan, etc.) for consideration or possible action.
The architect suggested that the building be restored.
-
to propose (a person or thing) as suitable or possible for some purpose.
We suggested him for president.
-
(of things) to prompt the consideration, making, doing, etc., of.
The glove suggests that she was at the scene of the crime.
-
to bring before a person's mind indirectly or without plain expression.
I didn't tell him to leave, I only suggested it.
-
to call (something) up in the mind through association or natural connection of ideas.
The music suggests a still night.
verb
-
to put forward (a plan, idea, etc) for consideration
I suggest Smith for the post
a plan suggested itself
-
to evoke (a person, thing, etc) in the mind of someone by the association of ideas
that painting suggests home to me
-
to give an indirect or vague hint of
his face always suggests his peace of mind
Related Words
See hint.
Other Word Forms
- presuggest verb (used with object)
- suggestedness noun
- suggester noun
- suggestingly adverb
- unsuggested adjective
- unsuggesting adjective
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
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.
She fueled a market panic in March 2020 by suggesting the central bank wouldn’t step in to help Italy as its borrowing costs soared.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that addressing chronic infection and inflammation could open the door to new treatment strategies, including early antibiotic use and therapies designed to reduce inflammation.
From Science Daily
But he suggests some of the comments are ironic.
From BBC
However, a further analysis looking at stage four cancers alone showed they fell by around a fifth in the study, suggesting the most deadly cancers were being detected at an earlier stage.
From BBC
Swinney suggested it was "desperation" which drove his opponents to make such serious claims.
From BBC
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.