suss

[ suhs ]

/ sʌs /

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verb (used with object)

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

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

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Origin of suss

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

Words nearby suss

suspicional, suspicious, suspiration, suspire, Susquehanna, suss, sussed, Sussex, Sussex spaniel, sustain, sustainability

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use suss in a sentence

One-on-one meetings commence with a few minutes of chat about general topics, so Prather can suss out students’ states of mind and make sure they are okay.
Building a better chemical factory—out of microbes|Leigh Buchanan|August 24, 2021|MIT Technology Review
In theory, the women are trying to suss out the good men from the bad ones.
Two Feminists Who Love Reality TV Wrap Their Minds Around the FBoy Island Finale|Eliana Dockterman|August 13, 2021|Time
Developers need time to suss out the nuances of new hardware.
The Best PS5 games to show off the console’s next-gen features|Billy Cadden|July 23, 2021|Popular-Science
VOSD hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby — along with a lot of other folks in the city — have been digging into it to suss out where the mayor stands on police and other major city services.
VOSD Podcast: A Closer Look at the Police Budget|Nate John|April 23, 2021|Voice of San Diego

What’s hard to suss out of those numbers is a significant trend reshaping party identification.
The Democratic advantage in party identification has gotten a lot wider|Philip Bump|April 7, 2021|Washington Post
“It has so much to do with Amy and her reaction to Ben,” he says, attempting to suss out the surprising turn of events.
Adam Scott on ‘A.C.O.D.,’ Love & Divorce|Kevin Fallon|October 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One would think that a media communications expert might be able to suss that out on her own.
Anti-Semitism—Bad for Palestinians, Too|Emily L. Hauser|October 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If you want to suss out the cleanliness and hygiene level of any hotel, take a quick look behind furniture and drapes.
Gordon Ramsay: 7 Hotel Horrors!|Gordon Ramsay|August 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Presently there came a sound from the stove, "Suss—suss—suss!"
Twenty-Four Unusual Stories for Boys and Girls|Anna Cogswell Tyler
Like her old self for a minute, Mrs. Suss, she hit me on the arm.
The Best Short Stories of 1917|Various
"Schlaf selig und suss," the soft stirring of the night-wind seemed to say: let her not dread the message the morning would bring!
Sunrise|William Black

British Dictionary definitions for suss

suss

/ (sʌs) /

verb (tr) slang

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

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

noun

sharpness of mind; social astuteness

Word Origin for suss

C20: shortened from suspect

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