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.
Although practical quantum batteries are not yet available, advances like this suggest they could eventually reshape how energy is stored and delivered.
From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026
Official statistics suggest men in Wokingham, Berkshire, can expect to be in good health until the age of nearly 70, and nearly 71 for women.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
These setups suggest viewing weakness as a chance to add energy names, not exit.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
The growth of private credit reflects a shift away from traditional credit, the analysts write, adding that “the total stock of riskier corporate borrowing has not expanded to levels that would suggest broad-based systemic vulnerability.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
I stare at the papers on the floor in front of me, the questions she printed out, that somehow suggest the Ranch is a bad place to live.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
