suspend
Americanverb (used with object)
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suspends,
present (3rd person singular)
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suspended,
past participle, past
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suspending
present participle
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to hang by attachment to something above.
to suspend a chandelier from the ceiling.
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to attach so as to allow free movement.
to suspend a door on a hinge.
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to keep from falling, sinking, forming a deposit, etc., as if by hanging.
to suspend solid particles in a liquid.
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to hold or keep undetermined; refrain from forming or concluding definitely.
to suspend one's judgment.
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to defer or postpone.
to suspend sentence on a convicted person.
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to cause to cease or bring to a stop or stay, usually for a time.
to suspend payment.
- Synonyms:
- discontinue, intermit
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to cause to cease for a time from operation or effect, as a law, rule, privilege, service, or the like.
to suspend ferry service.
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to debar, usually for a limited time, from the exercise of an office or function or the enjoyment of a privilege.
The student was suspended from school.
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to keep in a mood or feeling of expectation or incompleteness; keep waiting in suspense.
Finish the story; don't suspend us in midair.
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Music. to prolong (a note or tone) into the next chord.
verb (used without object)
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suspends,
present (3rd person singular)
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suspended,
past participle, past
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suspending
present participle
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to come to a stop, usually temporarily; cease from operation for a time.
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to stop payment; be unable to meet financial obligations.
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to hang or be suspended, as from another object.
The chandelier suspends from the ceiling.
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to be suspended, as in a liquid, gas, etc.
verb
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(tr) to hang from above so as to permit free movement
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(tr; passive) to cause to remain floating or hanging
a cloud of smoke was suspended over the town
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(tr) to render inoperative or cause to cease, esp temporarily
to suspend interest payments
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(tr) to hold in abeyance; postpone action on
to suspend a decision
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(tr) to debar temporarily from privilege, office, etc, as a punishment
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(tr) chem to cause (particles) to be held in suspension in a fluid
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(tr) music to continue (a note) until the next chord is sounded, with which it usually forms a dissonance See suspension
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(intr) to cease payment, as from incapacity to meet financial obligations
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obsolete (tr) to put or keep in a state of anxiety or wonder
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obsolete (intr) to be attached from above
Usage
What does suspend mean? Suspend most commonly means to cause to stop, to bring to a stop, to withhold, or to postpone, as in The bank has suspended payments or All activities have been suspended until further notice. It also commonly means to hang something by attaching it to something else, especially with ropes or cables, as in We need to suspend the banner from the ceiling. More specifically, suspend can mean to officially punish someone, such as an employee, student, or athlete, so that they are not allowed to participate in an activity for a certain period of time, as in He was suspended for five games for fighting. A person punished in this way is said to be suspended. The noun form suspension can be used for most senses of suspend to refer to an instance or the process of suspending.
Synonym Usage
See interrupt.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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suspendibilitynoun
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resuspendverb
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presuspendverb (used with object)
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suspendibleadjective
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unsuspendibleadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suspendsimple
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suspendssimple
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have suspendedperfect
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has suspendedperfect
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am suspendingprogressive
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are suspendingprogressive
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is suspendingprogressive
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have been suspendingperfect progressive
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has been suspendingperfect progressive
Past
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suspendedsimple
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had suspendedperfect
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was suspendingprogressive
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were suspendingprogressive
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had been suspendingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suspend
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English suspenden, from Latin suspendere “to hang up,” equivalent to sus- sus- + pendere (transitive) “to hang” ( see pend, suspense)
Explanation
You can use the verb suspend any time you need to stop something. Whether it’s your judgment, a rule, or bus service, when you suspend it, you temporarily bring it to a halt. Suspend often describes stopping an activity for a while. A winter storm, for example, may suspend air travel until weather conditions improve. Suspend also works in a more figurative sense, such as when you suspend your doubt in order to give someone or something a fair chance. A student who is suspended is temporarily forbidden from attending class. Don't confuse this with expel, which means he or she may never return.
Vocabulary lists containing suspend
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 6
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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"My Favorite Chaperone," Vocabulary from the short story
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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:
In the meantime, Papa John’s board has decided to suspend the company’s quarterly dividend, beginning in the third quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
This time, the U.S. did not say whether a specific incident prompted it to suspend inspections in Michoacán.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Tama Zoo announced last month that it would suspend its lion exhibit and lion bus service, due to the "sudden heatwave" making the lions ill.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The TVs played scenes from the Harry Potter films and helped suspend disbelief where magical creatures were involved, and the lighting system aided in spellcasting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
He suggested we voluntarily suspend the armed struggle in order to create the right climate to move the negotiation process forward.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
It will also institute a “proactive lockout” that suspends access when the system detects suspicious behavior.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
March 14: Boeing suspends deliveries of the 737 MAX after global aviation regulators ground the jet.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The agreement only explicitly suspends Iranian tolls for the 60-day duration and calls for Iran and Oman to “conduct dialogue” about strait management alongside other Persian Gulf states and “in line with applicable international law.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
The NBA automatically suspends any player who receives 16 technical fouls during a season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
The school notifies the police, calls the parents, and suspends students for 1 to 5 school days.
From What Works: Schools Without Drugs by United States Department of Education
The sperm bank has now also suspended working with Firdevs and Miracle IVF until the northern Cyprus government investigation has concluded.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Then, in a last-ditch effort to fend off Hong’s insurgency, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, who had previously suspended his campaign, reentered the race less than a month before polls opened.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Both involve being suspended in water, which can support up to 90% of your body weight.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Joan Vila-Grau’s brilliantly hued stained-glass windows seem suspended between abstraction and figuration, never resolving the tension.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
A glass orb the size of a watermelon hung suspended over the silver prongs of the barge’s motor.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
It said it was considering suspending operations if the attacks continued.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Belonging, for her, could not mean suspending criticism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Kumamoto General Hospital resumed normal outpatient services on 5 August , after suspending them following the earthquake on 28 July.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
On Wednesday, regulators were obliged to enforce the circuit breaker, suspending all trading temporarily, for the second consecutive day and the tenth time this year.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
He rode slowly along the stone wall, suspending judgment.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
