suspicion

American  

[suh-spish-uhn] / səˈspɪʃ ən /

noun

• suspicions
  plural

1. act of suspecting.

2. the state of mind or feeling of one who suspects.

   Suspicion kept him awake all night long.

   Synonyms:

   misgiving, mistrust, doubt

3. an instance of suspecting something or someone.

4. state of being suspected.

   under suspicion; above suspicion.

5. imagination of anything to be the case or to be likely; a vague notion of something.

6. a slight trace, hint, or suggestion.

   a suspicion of a smile.

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verb (used with object)

1. Nonstandard. to suspect.

suspicion British  

/ səˈspɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of suspecting; belief without sure proof, esp that something is wrong

2. the feeling of mistrust of a person who suspects

3. the state of being suspected

   to be shielded from suspicion

4. a slight trace

5. in such a position that no guilt may be thought or implied, esp through having an unblemished reputation

6. as a suspect

7. regarded with distrust

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suspicion Idioms  

1. see above suspicion.

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Usage

What does suspicion mean? Suspicion is the state or act of suspecting something—having a sense that it may be true without knowing with certainty. Suspicion can also refer to this sense, as in I had a suspicion that I was going to be fired, or an instance of suspecting someone of something, as in My suspicions turned out to be right—they had been stealing from the register. A suspicion is usually based on something, such as a hunch or some kind of evidence, but the word is typically used in situations in which there is some doubt—when someone suspects something, but isn’t sure. Suspicion is most commonly used in negative contexts, but this isn’t always the case. For example, you might have a suspicion that someone is planning a surprise party for you. Suspicion can also refer to a state of mind, as in He’s always been prone to suspicion. To regard something with suspicion is to regard it with distrust. Sometimes, suspicion refers to the state of being suspected, especially of a crime or other wrongdoing. This sense of the word is often used in phrases like under suspicion and on suspicion of, as in He was arrested on suspicion of robbery. Someone who’s considered highly trustworthy might be described as above suspicion, meaning you would never suspect them of doing anything wrong. The adjective suspicious can describe a person who has suspicions about others, as in My parents got suspicious when I kept asking whether they’d be home tomorrow, or someone or something that arouses suspicion, as in a suspicious package. Example: We have suspected it all along, and what happened today confirmed our suspicions.

Synonym Usage

Suspicion, distrust are terms for a feeling that appearances are not reliable. Suspicion is the positive tendency to doubt the trustworthiness of appearances and therefore to believe that one has detected possibilities of something unreliable, unfavorable, menacing, or the like: to feel suspicion about the honesty of a prominent man. Distrust may be a passive want of trust, faith, or reliance in a person or thing: to feel distrust of one's own ability.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presuspicion
  noun
• self-suspicion
  noun
• supersuspicion
  noun
• suspicional
  adjective
• suspicionless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• suspicions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of suspicion

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Latin suspīciōn- (stem of suspīciō ), equivalent to suspīc- (variant stem of suspicere “to look from below, suspect” ) + -iōn- -ion; see suspect

Explanation

Suspicion is a feeling that something might be true. If your friends seem to be keeping a secret from you, you might have a suspicion that they are planning a surprise party for your birthday. Suspicion can mean the same as hunch or inkling, like when you have a suspicion that your friend is hiding a flower bouquet behind his back. Suspicion comes from the Latin word suspicere, or mistrust. That's why it can mean a general bad feeling about someone or something, like neighbors who regard all new people with suspicion until they get to know them.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

suspicion suspicions

In the world of capital punishment, Burton is not alone in coming under suspicion.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

They have spent a lot of time and a whole lot of money creating this environment of mistrust and suspicion, each for their own purposes but sharing the same goal, and it’s paid off handsomely.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

West Midlands Police said that she was arrested again at Monument Road on Wednesday morning on suspicion of harassment.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Even with our ideological differences and the suspicion built up over years of separation…we speak the same language, share the same customs,” Chen said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

While hardly an earthshaking question, it had symbolic significance because of the obsessive American suspicion of monarchy, which haunted all conversations about the powers of the presidency under the recently ratified Constitution.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Beyond barring U.S. access, loss of a visa is widely viewed as raising suspicions about a politician’s character — a major reason, observers say, why few Mexican lawmakers acknowledge being stripped of visas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Ask me again in August 2036 — although I already have my suspicions.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Journalists on the old plane out of Ankara were also told to keep their window blinds down -- a step normally reserved for war zones -- furthering suspicions of security concerns.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Combine these suspicions with his all-consuming grief and you can see why Swire is such a force to be reckoned with on his quest for a truth he believes has been denied to him.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

They only visit under the cover of night, their faces hidden by their shawls, so as not to raise suspicions that they might be coming to pray or to celebrate a Jewish holiday.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Related Words

• conjecture
• cynicism
• distrust
• impression
• jealousy
• misgiving
• mistrust
• notion
• skepticism
• uncertainty
• wariness