suspect

1 of 3

adjective

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

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 One suspect has been arrested. She is a possible suspect in connection with the kidnapping. The prime suspect for the food poisoning is the potato salad. Verb He's suspected in four burglaries. The police do not suspect murder in this case. The fire chief suspects arson. I suspect it will rain. Call the doctor immediately if you suspect you've been infected. The latest research confirms what scientists have long suspected. I suspect she's not who she says she is. “We haven't done our homework.” “I suspected as much.” I suspected his motives in giving me the money. I have reason to suspect her sincerity when she makes promises like that.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Chandler detectives believed the shooting occurred between two groups that knew each other and was an isolated incident, but that no suspect had been identified. The Arizona Republic, 11 Mar. 2024 Police searched for a suspect and the department’s SWAT team responded to the apartment building, making announcements for a person to exit. Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 11 Mar. 2024 An investigation revealed the suspect was in possession of methamphetamine. Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 But within months, the knock-knock burglars began to fade as police suspects because the police were hanging on to a big secret. Michelle Miller, CBS News, 9 Mar. 2024 Genealogists can find people from the same family tree as the unidentified suspect. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The suspects are also accused of attempting to export live animals without declaring them and violating animal disease control laws, the customs department said. Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Another 37 suspects were already searched and interrogated in previous weeks and months. Kirsten Grieshaber, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024 McClatchy News is not identifying the suspect to protect the identity of the minor. Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
The popular emergence of generative AI has deepened uncertainty in an already-skeptical information environment, leading people to suspect that anything could be the product of synthetic media. Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Magid suspected that filming the role-play would be challenging—with a multiplicity of narratives and durations of up to 12 hours—and wanted to focus on what that meant to the protagonists, personally. Savina Petkova, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 The seemingly happy image, which features the four royal family members smiling, was suspected to be manipulated, adding more fuel to the speculative fire on the princess’s absence. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024 Researchers suspect the elephants cleverly selected tea estates as burial sites because of their pre-dug trenches and semi-remote locations. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 On May 25, 1898, King, who was Black and suspected of murdering a White man, was dragged by a mob from his jail cell to the courthouse lawn, hanged from a tree and reportedly shot 100 times, according to an account in the Baltimore Sun. Joe Heim, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Cutler also noted that confirming a pregnancy by any means requires having a reason to suspect pregnancy in the first place. Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 Researchers suspected that Jerdon’s forest lizards were actually several species being inaccurately lumped together, the study said. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Residents pushed back a week before the teen violence meeting saying the department’s priorities were misplaced for going after doxing claims when the department should be focused on arresting people suspected of Gilbert Goon assaults or other teen attacks. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suspect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near suspect

Cite this Entry

“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suspect. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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
: 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

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