suspend

verb

sus·​pend sə-ˈspend 

suspended; suspending; suspends

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 (such 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 chord

intransitive verb

1

: to cease operation temporarily

2

: to stop payment or fail to meet obligations

3

: hang

Did you know?

When something is suspended, it is "left hanging;" it is neither in full operation nor permanently ended. Suspense is a state of uncertainty and maybe anxiety. When we watch a play or movie, we enjoy experiencing a "suspension of disbelief;" that is, we allow ourselves to believe we're watching reality, even though we aren't truly fooled.Suspension can also mean physical hanging; thus, in a suspension bridge, the roadway actually hangs from huge cables. When some substance is "in suspension", its particles are "hanging" in another substance, mixed into it but not actually dissolved, like fine sand in water, or sea spray in the air at the seashore.

Synonyms

• adjourn
• prorogate
• prorogue
• recess

Choose the Right Synonym for suspend

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding.

defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Examples of suspend in a Sentence

He was suspended from the team for missing too many practices.

The police officers were suspended without pay for their conduct.

The principal suspended the student from school for fighting.

The city suspended bus service during the storm.

The company was forced to suspend operations.

They have suspended the peace talks.

I advise suspending judgment until the investigation is over.

Her license to practice law was suspended.

We can suspend the rules just this once.

He's driving with a suspended license.

Recent Examples on the Web

Reyes was then suspended for the entirety of the 2020 season for the use of a Performance Enhancing Drug. —Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

Worldwide impact Trump’s Jan. 20 order to immediately suspend refugee admissions stranded more than 10,000 people that completed the lengthy process to acquire refugee status and had scheduled flights to the U.S. —Sofi Zeman, Kansas City Star, 23 June 2025

But the project was intermittently suspended, leaving ACF unable to procure enough of the nutrient-rich food during the peak season of malnutrition. —Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 22 June 2025

Earnhardt, who won NASCAR’s most-popular driver award 15 times, made a pit stop from his day job as team owner at JR Motorsports with normal crew chief Mardy Lindley suspended one race because of a lug-nut infraction this month at Nashville. —Dan Gelston, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing suspend

• suspend between
• suspend (one's) disbelief

Rhymes for suspend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• depend

Kids Definition

suspend

verb

sus·​pend sə-ˈspend 

1

: to force to give up some right or position for a time

suspend a student from school

2

a

: to stop or do away with for a time

suspend bus service

b

: to put off on certain conditions

suspend a lawbreaker's sentence

3

a

: to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support

b

: to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support

dust suspended in the air

c

: to put or hold in suspension

suspended sediment

Legal Definition

suspend

transitive verb

sus·​pend

1

: to debar temporarily from a privilege, office, or function

2

a

: to stop temporarily

suspend trading

b

: to make temporarily ineffective

suspend a license

c

: stay

suspend a hearing

d

: to defer until a later time see also suspended sentence at sentence