suspension

American  

[suh-spen-shuhn] / səˈspɛn ʃən /

noun

1. the act of suspending.

   Synonyms:

   hiatus, abeyance, cessation, discontinuance, interruption, intermission

2. the state of being suspended.

   Synonyms:

   hiatus, abeyance, cessation, discontinuance, interruption, intermission

3. temporary abrogation or withholding, as of a law, privilege, decision, belief, etc.

   Synonyms:

   hiatus, abeyance, cessation, discontinuance, interruption, intermission

4. stoppage of payment of debts or claims because of financial inability or insolvency.

5. Chemistry.

   1. the state in which the particles of a substance are mixed with a fluid but are undissolved.

   2. a substance in such a state.

6. Physical Chemistry. a system consisting of small particles kept dispersed by agitation mechanical suspension or by the molecular motion in the surrounding medium colloidal suspension.

7. something on or by which something else is suspended or hung.

8. something that is suspended or hung.

9. Also called suspension system.  the arrangement of springs, shock absorbers, hangers, etc., in an automobile, railway car, etc., connecting the wheel-suspension units or axles to the chassis frame.

10. Electricity. a wire, filament, or group of wires by which the conducting part of an instrument or device is suspended.

11. Music.

    1. the prolongation of a tone in one chord into the following chord, usually producing a temporary dissonance.

    2. the tone so prolonged.

12. Rhetoric. the heightening of interest by delay of the main subject or clause, especially by means of a series of parallel preceding elements.

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suspension British  

/ səˈspɛnʃən /

noun

1. an interruption or temporary revocation

   the suspension of a law

2. a temporary debarment, as from position, privilege, etc

3. a deferment, esp of a decision, judgment, etc

4. law

   1. a postponement of execution of a sentence or the deferring of a judgment, etc

   2. a temporary extinguishment of a right or title

5. cessation of payment of business debts, esp as a result of insolvency

6. the act of suspending or the state of being suspended

7. a system of springs, shock absorbers, etc, that supports the body of a wheeled or tracked vehicle and insulates it and its occupants from shocks transmitted by the wheels See also hydraulic suspension

8. a device or structure, usually a wire or spring, that serves to suspend or support something, such as the pendulum of a clock

9. chem a dispersion of fine solid or liquid particles in a fluid, the particles being supported by buoyancy See also colloid

10. the process by which eroded particles of rock are transported in a river

11. music one or more notes of a chord that are prolonged until a subsequent chord is sounded, usually to form a dissonance

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suspension Scientific  

/ sə-spĕn′shən /

1. A mixture in which small particles of a substance are dispersed throughout a gas or liquid. If a suspension is left undisturbed, the particles are likely to settle to the bottom. The particles in a suspension are larger than those in either a colloid or a solution. Muddy water is an example of a suspension.

2. Compare colloid solution

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Usage

What does suspension mean? Suspension most commonly means a stoppage or withholding of something, especially a temporary one, as in The parade requires a temporary suspension of traffic. Suspension is the noun form of the verb suspend. The most common and general meanings of suspend are to hang something by attaching it to something else, to cause to stop, to bring to a stop, or to postpone. Most meanings of suspension are based on these meanings of suspend in some way. Suspension has several specific meanings. It can refer to an official punishment of someone, such as an employee, student, or athlete, in which they are not allowed to participate in an activity for a certain period of time, as in He is serving a five-game suspension for fighting. A person is said to serve a suspension (much like how a person is said to serve a prison sentence). A person serving a suspension is said to be suspended. In cars and some other vehicles, the suspension (or suspension system) is the collective system (of parts like springs and shock absorbers) that supports the body of the vehicle and is intended to reduce the amount of bumpiness being transmitted from the wheels to the rest of the vehicle. In chemistry, suspension most commonly refers to a liquid or other substance in which solid particles are mixed but not dissolved—muddy water is a basic example.

Other Word Forms

• nonsuspension noun
• presuspension noun
• resuspension noun

Etymology

Origin of suspension

1520–30; < Latin suspēnsiōn- (stem of suspēnsiō ), equivalent to suspēns ( us ) ( suspense ) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A suspension is a temporary stoppage. If you receive one in school, you temporarily can't attend classes and if the referee gives you one, you have to sit out for the rest of the game. If there is a suspension of diplomatic relations with another country or a suspension of sales of a product, these things are stopped too. When you are suspended in mid-air, you are hanging above the earth unable to use your feet. Think of floating like this as another sense of suspension. In your car, the suspension system stops the bumps in the road from knocking you around. In science, suspension is when particles that should sink are made buoyant by another substance and float, like bubbles, off the bottom of a vessel.

Example Sentences

The suspension of commercial fishing has meant major losses of income for many in the business.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

In Israel, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday issued a statement welcoming the 14-day suspension of hostilities with Iran.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Tucker’s other innovations included a padded dashboard for safety, four-wheel independent suspension and a cyclops-like center headlight that rotated with the steering wheel to improve visibility around corners.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

The suspension followed Pakistan’s mediation and Trump receiving what he described as a “workable” 10-point plan from Iran.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Big Creek High School, Mr. Turner said in his shrill voice, had been placed on football suspension for the 1958 season.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Related Words

• break
• freeze
• halt
• interruption
• layoff
• moratorium
• period
• postponement
• stoppage
• termination