suss

American  

[suhs] / sʌs /

verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly British Slang. to investigate or figure out (usually followed byout ).

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suss British  

/ sʌs /

verb

1. (often foll by out) to attempt to work out (a situation, person's character, etc), esp using one's intuition

2. Also: sus.  to become aware of; suspect (esp in the phrase suss it )

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noun

1. sharpness of mind; social astuteness

Etymology

Origin of suss

First recorded in 1965–70; earlier, to suspect, a suspect, shortening of suspect

Example Sentences

But one of California’s leading political savants, Paul Mitchell, has developed a helpful online tool to suss out the possibilities.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The reason isn’t hard to suss out: $100 a barrel oil is hard on the consumer and makes filling up an RV gas tank, which can hold 100 gallons of fuel, a daunting prospect.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Employment rose by 130,000 in January, but it’s a notoriously bad month to suss out the true state of the labor market.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 5, 2026

And so I think he was really trying to suss out, initially, how he could pull those different levers.

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2026

He moved jaggedly back and forth, as if he were trying to suss out something.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi