suggest
Americanverb (used with object)
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to mention or introduce (an idea, proposition, plan, etc.) for consideration or possible action.
The architect suggested that the building be restored.
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to propose (a person or thing) as suitable or possible for some purpose.
We suggested him for president.
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(of things) to prompt the consideration, making, doing, etc., of.
The glove suggests that she was at the scene of the crime.
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to bring before a person's mind indirectly or without plain expression.
I didn't tell him to leave, I only suggested it.
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to call (something) up in the mind through association or natural connection of ideas.
The music suggests a still night.
verb
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to put forward (a plan, idea, etc) for consideration
I suggest Smith for the post
a plan suggested itself
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to evoke (a person, thing, etc) in the mind of someone by the association of ideas
that painting suggests home to me
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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.
The intent seems to be to add a bold, tangy element to the rom-com, or at least to suggest a mordant commentary on our American condition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Increased US imports from Vietnam and Mexico, where Chinese firms have boosted their investments, suggest business ties between the two countries have not completely unwound.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
These stones suggest the animal had an omnivorous diet that included plants, insects, and small animals.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
It is still well below both the downward-sloping 50- and 200-day simple moving averages, but some recent candlesticks suggest some bottoming action.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
“You know, the only reason I suggest less earmuff time is so you can make friends.”
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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.
