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 Dominic Leone, president of the police and fire commission, said the decision to suspend Mensah was based on Wisconsin statute, which lays out the rules for fire and police commissions. — Evan Casey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Officer Joseph Mensah is appealing his suspension from the Wauwatosa Police Department, documents show," 17 Sep. 2020 The decision to suspend the Raiders' season comes a day after the news of a Maloney High-Meriden football player testing positive for COVID-19. — Shawn Mcfarland, courant.com, "City of Meriden suspends youth football team’s season after two positive COVID-19 cases result in 62 people having to quarantine," 16 Sep. 2020 Kurt Overton, a longtime youth sports coach, rallied families to speak out against Young’s initial decision to suspend fall leagues. — Talia Richman, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore reverses course, will allow permits for some fall youth sports," 16 Sep. 2020 Roj tweeted a statement accepting the mayor's decision to suspend him on Monday. — Victoria Albert, CBS News, "Rochester mayor ousts police chief and suspends top lawyer after Daniel Prude's death," 15 Sep. 2020 Separately, a TikTok employee has challenged the looming ban in federal court and is seeking a judicial decision to suspend the August 6 executive order. — Brian Fung And Selina Wang, CNN, "TikTok will partner with Oracle in the United States after Microsoft loses bid," 14 Sep. 2020 Hundreds of students from Des Moines Public Schools and the Ames Community School District marched to the governor’s mansion Monday to protest the decision to suspend sports and start the school year online. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Student rallies, high school pay-per-view, $500 tips: News from around our 50 states," 10 Sep. 2020 The mayor of Rochester, Lovely Warren, announced on Thursday her decision to suspend all of the officers involved. — Haley Victory Smith, Washington Examiner, "Protests over the death of Daniel Prude in Rochester, New York, get violent," 5 Sep. 2020 Protesters marched in Rochester, N.Y., on Thursday night, as many appeared unswayed by the city's mayor's recent decision to suspend seven police officers involved in the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. — David Aaro, Fox News, "Police, protesters clash in Rochester after mayor suspends officers involved in man’s suffocation death," 4 Sep. 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.