Main Entry: sus·pend

Pronunciation: \sə-ˈspend\

Function: verb

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French suspendre, from Latin suspendere, from sub-, sus- up + pendere to cause to hang, weigh

Date: 14th century

transitive verb 1 : to debar temporarily especially from a privilege, office, or function <suspend a student from school>
2 a : to cause to stop temporarily <suspend bus service> b : to set aside or make temporarily inoperative <suspend the rules>
3 : to defer to a later time on specified conditions <suspend sentence>
4 : to hold in an undetermined or undecided state awaiting further information <suspend judgment> <suspend disbelief>
5 a : hang; especially : to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support <suspend a ball by a thread> b : to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support (as buoyancy) <dust suspended in the air> c : to put or hold in suspension <suspended sediment>
6 a : to keep fixed or lost (as in wonder or contemplation) b : to keep waiting in suspense or indecision
7 : to hold (a musical note) over into the following chordintransitive verb 1 : to cease operation temporarily
2 : to stop payment or fail to meet obligations
3 : hang

synonyms see defer