suspect

1 of 3

adjective

sus·​pect ˈsə-ˌspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio) sə-ˈspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
Synonyms of suspectnext
1
: regarded or deserving to be regarded with suspicion : suspected
investigates suspect employees
2
: doubtful, questionable
whose skills are suspect— Peter Vecsey

suspect

2 of 3

noun

sus·​pect ˈsə-ˌspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
: one that is suspected
especially : a person suspected of a crime

suspect

3 of 3

verb

sus·​pect sə-ˈspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
suspected; suspecting; suspects

transitive verb

1
: to imagine (one) to be guilty or culpable on slight evidence or without proof
suspect him of giving false information
2
: to have doubts of : distrust
suspects her motives
3
: to imagine to exist or be true, likely, or probable
I suspect he's right

intransitive verb

: to imagine something to be true or likely

Synonyms

Adjective

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of suspect in a Sentence

Adjective The room had a suspect odor. since she was carrying no cash or credit cards, her claim to the store's detectives that she had intended to pay for the items was suspect Noun
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Investigators said Borom was pronounced dead by emergency medical services and that police have identified a suspect, who is also an inmate at the medium-security facility in Hagerstown. — Matt Hubbard, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2025 The Los Angeles Police Department took a suspect into custody around 6:30 p.m and then transferred him to the Pasadena Police Department, which is the lead agency for the incident, Derderian said. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
Nassau County fire officials suspect high winds and lightning may have been a factor. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025 Georgia brothers found dead on mountain Family members suspect foul play in the deaths of twin brothers, Naazir and Qaadir Lewis, found shot to death atop Bell Mountain in Georgia, FOX 5 Atlanta reports. — Pilar Arias, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for suspect

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin suspectus, from past participle of suspicere

Verb

Middle English, from Latin suspectare, frequentative of suspicere to look up at, regard with awe, suspect, from sub-, sus- up, secretly + specere to look at — more at sub-, spy

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined above

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of suspect was in the 14th century

Rhymes for suspect

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Browse Nearby Words

suspect
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Cite this Entry

“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suspect. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

suspect

1 of 3 adjective
sus·​pect ˈsəs-ˌpekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
sə-ˈspekt
: regarded with suspicion

suspect

2 of 3 noun
sus·​pect ˈsəs-ˌpekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
: one that is suspected
especially : a person suspected of a crime

suspect

3 of 3 verb
sus·​pect sə-ˈspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
1
: to have doubts about
2
: to believe to be guilty without proof
suspect someone of theft
3
: to suppose to be true or likely
I suspect that it will rain

Legal Definition

suspect

1 of 3 adjective
sus·​pect ˈsəs-ˌpekt, sə-ˈspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
: regarded or deserving to be regarded with suspicion or heightened scrutiny

suspect

2 of 3 noun
sus·​pect ˈsəs-ˌpekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
: a person suspected of a crime
also : a person apprehended for but not yet charged with an offense

suspect

3 of 3 transitive verb
sus·​pect sə-ˈspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
1
: to imagine (one) to be guilty on slight evidence or without proof
2
: to imagine to exist or be probable
they had reasonable cause to suspect abuse
Etymology

Adjective

Latin suspectus, from past participle of suspicere to look up at, regard with awe, suspect, from sub-, sus- up, secretly + specere to look at

More from Merriam-Webster on suspect

Nglish: Translation of suspect for Spanish Speakers

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