suspend

verb

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

Keep scrolling for more

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

It had been suspended in April to help clear an application backlog. — Leonardo Castaneda, The Seattle Times, "Faster processing available again for H-1B visas," 28 Jan. 2019 Since his arrest, he has been suspended from his job at Orange SA, the French telecommunications carrier, which serves about a quarter of Polish mobile phone subscribers. — Matthew Dalton, WSJ, "Spy Case Linked to China Raises Red Flags for Poland and the U.S.," 24 Jan. 2019 She has been suspended pending an administrative review. — Fox News, "Florida prosecutor accused of shoplifting beauty products," 19 Sep. 2018 Crouch says he was suspended for a week and then fired via conference call. — CBS News, "Sporting goods store chain fires manager NRA calls "hero"," 12 July 2018 Yoshino, who grew up in Modesto, attracted attention in January, when she was suspended by a previous editor, a move that prompted an outcry from the newsroom, which quickly mobilized in support of her. — Meg James, latimes.com, "Los Angeles Times installs new leadership team that includes Scott Kraft, Kris Viesselman and Kimi Yoshino," 10 July 2018 He has never been suspended by the NFL for using performance enhancing substances during his nine-year career. — John Wawrow, Philly.com, "LeSean McCoy calls accusation of domestic violence 'completely false'," 10 July 2018 To date, he has been suspended from 19 MLS matches. — Glynn A. Hill, Houston Chronicle, "Dynamo sign Ronaldo Pena, loan Tyler Deric to RGV," 6 July 2018 For instance, the nerve agent could have resisted decay if it was suspended in a water-repelling gel, one expert suggested to The New York Times. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Second Novichok poisoning in Britain raises alarm, questions over contamination," 5 July 2018

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.