suss
Americanverb (used with object)
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susses,
present (3rd person singular)
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sussed,
past participle, past
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sussing
present participle
verb
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(often foll by out) to attempt to work out (a situation, person's character, etc), esp using one's intuition
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Also: sus. to become aware of; suspect (esp in the phrase suss it )
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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susssimple
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sussessimple
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have sussedperfect
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has sussedperfect
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am sussingprogressive
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are sussingprogressive
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is sussingprogressive
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have been sussingperfect progressive
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has been sussingperfect progressive
Past
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sussedsimple
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had sussedperfect
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was sussingprogressive
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were sussingprogressive
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had been sussingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suss
First recorded in 1965–70; earlier, to suspect, a suspect, shortening of suspect
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.
See Examples For:
Trying to suss out reporters’ sources can quickly turn conspiratorial.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
To be frank, the reason for the Wednesday rise was difficult to suss out.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
She suggested getting an independent solar feasibility survey to help "suss out how much money you might be able to make from solar panels on your roof".
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Trump told aides he didn’t want to leave the Hilton, and he remained at the hotel as advisers tried to suss out what happened, according to a person familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
The title would be easy to suss out for any Yiddish speaker with a half-decent grasp of the Latin alphabet.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
He susses out life forces rather than spiraling despair; he is tender without being sentimental, cleareyed without being cool.
From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2023
Smaller hikes from now on would also grant the Fed more flexibility, economists say, as the central bank susses out how much higher rates need to go.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 22, 2023
For at least six more months, then, ex-felons’ voting rights will remain in limbo while this “work group” susses out the process.
From Slate ● May 3, 2019
Epidemiologists and oncologists can be forgiven for hating that movie, in which Julia Roberts plays a concerned citizen who susses out a public health emergency.
From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2013
For the next hour we trot around with Matt as he informs relatives of Liz’s condition and susses out clues to the identity of her secret beau.
From Time ● Nov. 15, 2011
How Wall Street sussed out that the hedge fund Situational Awareness was on the ropes.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
I was pretty skeptical when I first sussed it out, but this track with Li Saumet from Bomba Estéreo is absolutely spell-binding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2023
Presumably, the ruling’s exact contours will be sussed out in future decisions.
From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2023
By the time it came out, he had correctly sussed out the most advantageous ways to suck up to the president by paying attention to the most minute details.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2022
Thought I had it all sussed out, how to make the money for a new engine and all.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
But semiconductor “foundries trade based on book value,” says Melius analyst Ben Reitzes, who was early in sussing out Intel’s comeback.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
With no nationwide elections to look at, sussing out the answer requires an election expert who can look granularly at the races.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
The Abbott World Marathon Majors, the international marathon series of which New York is part, is keen on sussing out dopers, Ms. Hall says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Still, even this glossy set of petty tyrants can recognize a creep and a phony in their ranks, sussing which one of their ilk is showing off their veneers for a half-second too long.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2025
“You should describe them to Horace. He’s good at sussing hidden meanings from dreams.”
From "Hollow City" by Ransom Riggs
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.
