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.
Ohai.ai App “This app changed my life. You can take a photo of the food in your fridge and it will suggest meals you can make.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
A shoe’s width or a precise description of how it could be used becomes more necessary because AI chatbots tend to home in on those sorts of details to suggest products to shoppers, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
The findings show a more complex picture than simple averages suggest.
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
It was the first time he had ever heard his sister voluntarily suggest that she go to sleep.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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.
