suspense
Americannoun
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a state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome, usually accompanied by a degree of apprehension or anxiety.
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a state of mental indecision.
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undecided or doubtful condition, as of affairs.
For a few days matters hung in suspense.
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the state or condition of being suspended.
noun
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the condition of being insecure or uncertain
the matter of the succession remained in suspense for many years
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mental uncertainty; anxiety
their father's illness kept them in a state of suspense
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excitement felt at the approach of the climax
a play of terrifying suspense
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the condition of being suspended
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of suspense
1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin suspēnsum deferment, suspension, uncertainty, noun use of neuter of Latin suspēnsus hung up, doubtful, in suspense (past participle of suspendere to hang up, leave undecided), equivalent to sus- sus- + pēnsus ( pend-, stem of pendere (translation) to hang ( see pend) + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > s )
Explanation
Suspense is a feeling of excited waiting. If you have been waiting for weeks to get an answer to your proposal of marriage, you are being kept in suspense. The verb form, suspend, literally means to keep hanging. Suspense can be used in all sorts of ways. Movies that keep you on the edge of your seat in fear use suspense to draw you in. Suspense doesn’t always have to be scary, but it is usually agitating. If you are in suspense, you’re waiting on something that you really have to know.
Vocabulary lists containing suspense
"What Is the Horror Genre?" Vocabulary from the literary criticism
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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.
Monty Norman's surf guitar riff and John Barry's sweeping orchestral scores spawned an entire genre of spy music – full of minor key suspense and piercing stabs of trumpet.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
The obvious parallel is with another massive underdog, Gray Davis, who also came from far behind to win the last time a gubernatorial primary held this level of uncertainty and suspense.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
They are announced one by one, starting from the bottom of the scoreboard -- thereby stretching out the suspense until the very end.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
The Hitchcock-like suspense is further heightened when David Minto, a charming lawyer with a complicated marital history, reintroduces Lindsay to romance.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
All four of us lie there in heavy, watchful suspense and breathe as lightly as possible.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
