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.
Business confidence surveys suggest that while many small-business owners are anxious, they are cautiously optimistic about holiday sales.
From Barron's
Business and consumer spending are on an impressive upward trajectory, notwithstanding still-elevated inflation and interest rates, trade disruptions, and a cooling labor market—which also may be hotter than official data suggest.
From Barron's
The president’s close relationship with Bessent suggests a sharp break would be unlikely, however.
From Barron's
Nothing much happens, until the segment’s finale introduces a twist that suggests the yawning chasm between what we think we know about our parents and what the truth of their lives is.
From Los Angeles Times
This suggests that the way animals coat their gut mucus with sugars may help determine which microbes thrive in the digestive system, potentially representing a shared mechanism across species.
From Science Daily
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.
