Synonyms

suspend

American

[suh-spend] / səˈspɛnd /

verb (used with object)

to hang by attachment to something above.

to suspend a chandelier from the ceiling.
to attach so as to allow free movement.

to suspend a door on a hinge.
to keep from falling, sinking, forming a deposit, etc., as if by hanging.

to suspend solid particles in a liquid.
to hold or keep undetermined; refrain from forming or concluding definitely.

to suspend one's judgment.
to defer or postpone.

to suspend sentence on a convicted person.
to cause to cease or bring to a stop or stay, usually for a time.

to suspend payment.

Synonyms:

discontinue, intermit
to cause to cease for a time from operation or effect, as a law, rule, privilege, service, or the like.

to suspend ferry service.
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.
to keep in a mood or feeling of expectation or incompleteness; keep waiting in suspense.

Finish the story; don't suspend us in midair.
Music. to prolong (a note or tone) into the next chord.

verb (used without object)

to come to a stop, usually temporarily; cease from operation for a time.
to stop payment; be unable to meet financial obligations.
to hang or be suspended, as from another object.

The chandelier suspends from the ceiling.
to be suspended, as in a liquid, gas, etc.

suspend British

/ səˈspɛnd /

verb

(tr) to hang from above so as to permit free movement
(tr; passive) to cause to remain floating or hanging

a cloud of smoke was suspended over the town
(tr) to render inoperative or cause to cease, esp temporarily

to suspend interest payments
(tr) to hold in abeyance; postpone action on

to suspend a decision
(tr) to debar temporarily from privilege, office, etc, as a punishment
(tr) chem to cause (particles) to be held in suspension in a fluid
(tr) music to continue (a note) until the next chord is sounded, with which it usually forms a dissonance See suspension
(intr) to cease payment, as from incapacity to meet financial obligations
obsolete (tr) to put or keep in a state of anxiety or wonder
obsolete (intr) to be attached from above

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Synonym Usage

See interrupt.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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” ( see pend, suspense)

Explanation

You can use the verb suspend any time you need to stop something. Whether it’s your judgment, a rule, or bus service, when you suspend it, you temporarily bring it to a halt. Suspend often describes stopping an activity for a while. A winter storm, for example, may suspend air travel until weather conditions improve. Suspend also works in a more figurative sense, such as when you suspend your doubt in order to give someone or something a fair chance. A student who is suspended is temporarily forbidden from attending class. Don't confuse this with expel, which means he or she may never return.

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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.

See Examples For:

suspend suspends suspended suspending

Puza announced it would suspend Culver CityBus service throughout the weekend and provide staff with crisis support as they grieve Rodriguez’s death.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Thai Airways also didn’t completely suspend its cargo warehouse operations, which could reduce its eventual cargo loss, and its operations are recovering quickly, he adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The Football Governance Act 2025 allows the IFR to suspend or revoke licences awarded to clubs as a last resort in cases of wrongdoing.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

As part of the agreement, Beijing agreed to buy more US soybeans and other agriculture products, and to suspend rare earths restrictions for a year.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

After an hour she finally sits in the chair next to me and says, The good news is, I'm not going to suspend you.

From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander

The government will instead introduce a new law in the coming weeks that suspends that expansion indefinitely, Fraser said.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

So he suspends her for a match, the last one before Christmas break.

From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2026

It will also institute a “proactive lockout” that suspends access when the system detects suspicious behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

March 14: Boeing suspends deliveries of the 737 MAX after global aviation regulators ground the jet.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

It suspends all operation of the shop and removal of the goods until the orders of the inspector have been obeyed.

From A Ten Year War An Account of The Battle with The Slum in New York by Jacob A. (Jacob August) Riis

Accused men began filing “John Doe” lawsuits, alleging they were being expelled or suspended without due process.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told radio broadcaster RTL early Wednesday that he had suspended the police use of stun grenades at the protests.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Classic lantern-style fixtures are suspended from the ceilings, which keep the space warm with exposed wood beams.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

The NFL has suspended two officials for instances of unprofessional conduct towards a player.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Mr. Gorringe has suspended work for a few days, but who knows how long it will be?

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Former Edison football coach Dave White remembers suspending his team’s best player before a trip to Hawaii for a team rule violation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

In another setback for Iran’s plans to bypass Hormuz, the country’s Mahan Air, which is sanctioned by the U.S., said Wednesday that it was suspending flights to Oman and Turkey, state-affiliated media in Tehran said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The following day, the State Department said it was suspending visitor visas for people from Gaza while it reviewed the process used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

On Tuesday, the UAE announced that it was suspending all economic dealings with Iran.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

"I got in trouble and they're suspending me for the day, so I need you to come get me."

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023