suspect
Americanverb (used with object)
-
suspects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
suspected,
past participle, past
-
suspecting
present participle
-
to believe to be guilty, false, counterfeit, undesirable, defective, bad, etc., with little or no proof.
to suspect a person of murder.
-
to doubt or mistrust.
I suspect his motives.
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to believe to be the case or to be likely or probable; surmise.
I suspect his knowledge did not amount to much.
- Synonyms:
- suppose, conjecture, guess
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to have some hint or foreknowledge of.
I think she suspected the surprise.
verb (used without object)
-
suspects,
present (3rd person singular)
-
suspected,
past participle, past
-
suspecting
present participle
noun
-
suspects
plural
-
a person who is suspected, especially one suspected of a crime, offense, or the like.
-
an animal or thing that is suspected to be the cause of something bad: The cause of the disease was not confirmed, but the suspect was an insect.
Investigators focused on faulty wiring as a suspect in the house fire.
The cause of the disease was not confirmed, but the suspect was an insect.
adjective
idioms
verb
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(tr) to believe guilty of a specified offence without proof
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(tr) to think false, questionable, etc
she suspected his sincerity
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to surmise to be the case; think probable
to suspect fraud
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(intr) to have suspicion
noun
adjective
Usage
What does sus mean? Sus is a shortening of suspicious or suspect. In slang, it has the sense of "questionable" or "shady."
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonsuspectnoun
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suspecternoun
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presuspectverb (used with object)
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suspectibleadjective
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suspectlessadjective
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unsuspectingadjective
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unsuspectinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suspectsimple
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suspectssimple
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have suspectedperfect
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has suspectedperfect
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am suspectingprogressive
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are suspectingprogressive
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is suspectingprogressive
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have been suspectingperfect progressive
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has been suspectingperfect progressive
Past
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suspectedsimple
-
had suspectedperfect
-
was suspectingprogressive
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were suspectingprogressive
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had been suspectingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suspect
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English (adjective) from Latin suspectus, past participle of suspicere “to look up, look and see, regard with mistrust,” equivalent to su- “under, below, beneath” + -spicere, combining form of specere “to see, observe, keep an eye on, take into consideration”; (verb) partly from the adjective, partly from Middle French suspecter “to hold suspect,” or directly from Latin suspectāre, frequentative of suspicere; see su-
Explanation
A suspect is a person who is believed to be guilty of a crime. If you leave the scene of a murder with blood on your hands and a weapon in your pocket, you’re likely to become a prime suspect. If others believe you have committed a crime, you are a suspect. The word can also be used as a verb and an adjective. To suspect someone of something is to believe that they probably did it. Do you ever suspect your parents of taking some of your Halloween candy? If something such as someone's excuse or motive is suspect, it seems a bit off. That bad-smelling piece of fish is suspect — you'd better not eat it.
Vocabulary lists containing suspect
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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Bridge to Terabithia
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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:
After you make them a few times, I suspect you will start doing the same.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
She did not suspect Woodhouse at the time, and only came to suspect it might have been him after seeing a BBC investigation into the ex-County ward councillor.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Chabria: This is definitely a wide-open race, with, I suspect, contenders not yet on any lists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
I suspect this is one of those peculiarly British collisions of ambiguity, assumption and social discomfort.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I suspect DeShon is “lights out,” though I bet his music is on.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
O'Connor suspects that another critical difference may have involved their feathers and how those feathers were replaced.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Critics say the cameras, which take pictures of the rear of every car that drives past, are overly broad investigative tools that treat civilians like suspects.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
Such tipoffs can help suspects beat charges or evade arrest while enabling outsiders to make well-timed trades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
German media reported Wednesday that police had identified two Russian suspects linked to the attempt.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Thus the students already at risk, already suffering, have become suspects, linked in various thoughtless ways to mass murder and—consequently—more alienated than before.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
One victim in Missouri reportedly lost more than $16 million, while millions of dollars in suspected scam proceeds were allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
However, scientists have also suspected that genetics might play a role in the hair loss associated with these medications.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
LIMA, Peru—The U.S. military has helped Ecuador bomb suspected drug traffickers along its border with Colombia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Officers arrested a man Saturday morning suspected of starting several small grass fires around a freeway transition road in Sherman Oaks, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
The doctors suspected that he had been born with the tumor and it had suddenly started to grow.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
There are still signs of wealth, she said, suspecting there are people making money off the scarcity caused by the sanctions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Still, it’s worth noting that Sink’s role has been the subject of much speculation, with fans suspecting she would play Marvel-verse X-Men telekinetic and telepath Jean Grey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
People outside Wall Street will probably say they don’t know, while those who work in finance, suspecting a trap, may hedge their bets.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Shakil said he passed on the undercover reporter's details to Tanisa without knowing or suspecting that she would offer to fabricate an asylum claim.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
This way Mr. Broks can read the letter without suspecting a ruse.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
