suspend

verb

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sus·pend | \ sə-ˈspend

suspended; suspending; suspends

Definition of suspend

transitive verb

1 : to debar temporarily especially from a privilege, office, or function suspend a student from school

2a : 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

5a : 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

6a : 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

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about suspend

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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

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.

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 Biden’s comments and questioning the decision to merely suspend Ducklo for a week. — Alexandra Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, "White House deputy press secretary resigns after threatening reporter," 14 Feb. 2021 And Dallas ISD continues to suspend students during the pandemic — albeit only in a few cases — with racial disparities persisting, according to data presented during Thursday’s district board briefing. — Talia Richman, Dallas News, "Will Dallas ban out-of-school suspensions for students?," 12 Feb. 2021 Last month, just days before Biden was inaugurated, attorneys for the coalition and Department of Justice attorneys reached a deal to suspend the court case for 21 days so the Biden's administration could take power and decide how to proceed. — Mike Schneider, Star Tribune, "Litigants take more cooperative approach in census lawsuit," 2 Feb. 2021 The legislation comes after President Biden signed an executive order this week to suspend oil and gas leasing on federal lands and offshore waters for one year. — Audrey Conklin, Fox News, "Rep. Crenshaw introduces House bill to protect Texas oil, gas jobs in light of Biden order," 31 Jan. 2021 On Thursday, the farmers stood firm on their demand for a total repeal of the reforms and rejected a government offer to suspend the laws for 18 months. — Naomi Xu Elegant, Fortune, "How two of India’s richest men became the target of farmer boycotts," 23 Jan. 2021 The Minnesota Department of Health has suspended its license, and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety intends to suspend its liquor license for 60 days. — CBS News, ""It's time for us patriots to rise up": Bar owner leads rally against possible 5-year liquor license loss," 4 Jan. 2021 United has one daily flight between London Heathrow and SFO but plans to suspend service in January, a decision that was made earlier in December. — Chronicle Staff, SFChronicle.com, "Coronavirus updates from the Bay Area: Dec. 24-30," 1 Jan. 2021 But the league, which also considered significant financial ramifications, does not have specific guidelines for what could postpone games or suspend the season. — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, "NBA Commissioner Adam Silver says league won't 'jump the line' to get COVID-19 vaccinations," 22 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suspend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.