suspect

[ verb suh-spekt; noun suhs-pekt; adjective suhs-pekt, suh-spekt ]

/ verb səˈspɛkt; noun ˈsʌs pɛkt; adjective ˈsʌs pɛkt, səˈspɛkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR suspect ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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.

to believe to be the case or to be likely or probable; surmise: I suspect his knowledge did not amount to much.

to have some hint or foreknowledge of: I think she suspected the surprise.

verb (used without object)

to believe something, especially something evil or wrong, to be the case; have suspicion.

noun

a person who is suspected, especially one suspected of a crime, offense, or the like.

adjective

suspected; open to or under suspicion.

Nearby words

Origin of suspect

1250–1300; Middle English (adj.) < Latin suspectāre, equivalent to su- su- + spectāre, frequentative of specere to look at

SYNONYMS FOR suspect

3 guess, conjecture, suppose.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR suspect ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

sus·pect·i·ble, adjectivenon·sus·pect, noun, adjectivepre·sus·pect, verb (used with object)un·sus·pect·ing, adjective

un·sus·pect·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for unsuspecting

Some are eventually re-gifted to unsuspecting relatives or friends.
Pope Francis Raffles Off His Swag to Help the Poor|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was one of the first great modern day ad-libbers, unleashing all-out joke assaults on unsuspecting audiences.
Robin Williams, Hollywood’s Grand Jester, Is Dead at 63|Marlow Stern|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like any massively successful property, the Turtles eventually began influencing its audience in unsuspecting ways.
How the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Inadvertently Caused an Environmental Crisis|Alex Suskind|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Afghanistan, Gibbs started to teach his soldiers how to “drop weapon” on unsuspecting civilians.
‘Kill Team’: The Documentary the Army Doesn’t Want You to See|Andrew Romano|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yes, and a terrible lie—designed to gull money from a generous, unsuspecting public.
Colonel of Truth: The KFC Hoax and the Idiocy of Crowdfunding for Bullying Victims|Scott Bixby|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was still convinced that I was a fragile and unsuspecting child in a world of vultures and demons.
Edgar Saltus: The Man|Marie Saltus
Rupert Sinclair could be no longer the credulous and unsuspecting victim of a subtile and self-interested world.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
I have no wish to speak against so-called teachers of singing, but say this in the interests of unsuspecting students.
Vocal Mastery|Harriette Brower
He clung desperately to the hope that he might remain a congenial memory to the unsuspecting girl at his side.
A Traitor's Wooing|Headon Hill
After they got accustomed to come and eat and no harm befell them, they would be unsuspecting.
Beautiful Joe|Marshall Saunders

British Dictionary definitions for unsuspecting (1 of 2)

unsuspecting

/ (ˌʌnsəˈspɛktɪŋ) /

adjective

disposed to trust; not suspicious; trusting

Derived Formsunsuspectingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for unsuspecting (2 of 2)

suspect

verb (səˈspɛkt)

(tr) to believe guilty of a specified offence without proof

(tr) to think false, questionable, etcshe suspected his sincerity

(tr; may take a clause as object) to surmise to be the case; think probableto suspect fraud

(intr) to have suspicion

noun (ˈsʌspɛkt)

a person who is under suspicion

adjective (ˈsʌspɛkt)

causing or open to suspicion

Derived Formssuspecter, nounsuspectless, adjective

Word Origin for suspect

C14: from Latin suspicere to mistrust, from sub- + specere to look

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

Word Origin and History for unsuspecting (1 of 2)

unsuspecting

adj.

1590s, from un- (1) "not" + present participle of suspect (v.).

Word Origin and History for unsuspecting (1 of 2)

suspect

adj.

mid-14c., from Old French suspect "suspicious," from Latin suspectus "suspected, suspicious," past participle of suspicere "look up at, mistrust, suspect," from sub "up to" + specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)). The notion is of "look at secretly," hence, "look at distrustfully." The verb is attested from late 15c.; the noun meaning "a suspected person" is first recorded 1590s. Related: Suspected; suspecting.

suspect

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of suspect

Examples from the Web for unsuspecting

British Dictionary definitions for unsuspecting (1 of 2)

unsuspecting

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for unsuspecting (2 of 2)

suspect

verb (səˈspɛkt)

noun (ˈsʌspɛkt)

adjective (ˈsʌspɛkt)

Word Origin for suspect

Word Origin and History for unsuspecting (1 of 2)

unsuspecting

Word Origin and History for unsuspecting (1 of 2)

suspect