suspend
Americanverb (used with object)
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to hang by attachment to something above.
to suspend a chandelier from the ceiling.
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to attach so as to allow free movement.
to suspend a door on a hinge.
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to keep from falling, sinking, forming a deposit, etc., as if by hanging.
to suspend solid particles in a liquid.
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to hold or keep undetermined; refrain from forming or concluding definitely.
to suspend one's judgment.
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to defer or postpone.
to suspend sentence on a convicted person.
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to cause to cease or bring to a stop or stay, usually for a time.
to suspend payment.
- Synonyms:
- discontinue, intermit
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to cause to cease for a time from operation or effect, as a law, rule, privilege, service, or the like.
to suspend ferry service.
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to debar, usually for a limited time, from the exercise of an office or function or the enjoyment of a privilege.
The student was suspended from school.
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to keep in a mood or feeling of expectation or incompleteness; keep waiting in suspense.
Finish the story; don't suspend us in midair.
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Music. to prolong (a note or tone) into the next chord.
verb (used without object)
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to come to a stop, usually temporarily; cease from operation for a time.
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to stop payment; be unable to meet financial obligations.
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to hang or be suspended, as from another object.
The chandelier suspends from the ceiling.
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to be suspended, as in a liquid, gas, etc.
verb
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(tr) to hang from above so as to permit free movement
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(tr; passive) to cause to remain floating or hanging
a cloud of smoke was suspended over the town
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(tr) to render inoperative or cause to cease, esp temporarily
to suspend interest payments
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(tr) to hold in abeyance; postpone action on
to suspend a decision
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(tr) to debar temporarily from privilege, office, etc, as a punishment
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(tr) chem to cause (particles) to be held in suspension in a fluid
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(tr) music to continue (a note) until the next chord is sounded, with which it usually forms a dissonance See suspension
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(intr) to cease payment, as from incapacity to meet financial obligations
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obsolete (tr) to put or keep in a state of anxiety or wonder
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obsolete (intr) to be attached from above
Usage
What does suspend mean? Suspend most commonly means to cause to stop, to bring to a stop, to withhold, or to postpone, as in The bank has suspended payments or All activities have been suspended until further notice.It also commonly means to hang something by attaching it to something else, especially with ropes or cables, as in We need to suspend the banner from the ceiling. More specifically, suspend can mean to officially punish someone, such as an employee, student, or athlete, so that they are not allowed to participate in an activity for a certain period of time, as in He was suspended for five games for fighting. A person punished in this way is said to be suspended.The noun form suspension can be used for most senses of suspend to refer to an instance or the process of suspending.
Related Words
See interrupt.
Other Word Forms
- presuspend verb (used with object)
- resuspend verb
- suspendibility noun
- suspendible adjective
- unsuspendible adjective
Etymology
Origin of suspend
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English suspenden, from Latin suspendere “to hang up,” equivalent to sus- sus- + pendere (transitive) “to hang” ( pend, suspense )
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 European Union said it would suspend its ratification of a deal struck over the summer.
From BBC
China has reportedly suspended imports of Japanese seafood.
From Barron's
The nets go on for miles, suspended from wooden poles around 20ft high along the sides and over the top of the road.
From BBC
A Binance spokeswoman said the investigators weren’t “suspended or terminated for raising compliance concerns” but instead left “based on individual circumstances.”
As part of her move to preserve limited funds, the agencies under DHS are suspending courtesy and family police escorts at airports for members of Congress.
From Barron's
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.
