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 Both Republicans and Democrats introduced legislation to suspend retention again in 2021, but Republicans have attempted to make the law even more aggressive by mandating that both third and fourth graders would face being held back next year. — Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 3 July 2021 Hartford instituted a citywide ban on the use of the bags in December of 2019, starting with large retailers, then had to suspend the ban due to COVID in May of 2020 shortly before the second phase (all retailers) was set to begin. — Christopher Arnott, courant.com, 1 July 2021 Isolated reports of abnormal clotting and bleeding prompted many European countries to suspend use of the AstraZeneca shot in March. — Emily Anthes, New York Times, 24 June 2021 Normally a resolution would require several days to reach a floor vote after passing out of a committee, but lawmakers can suspend the rules with a two-thirds majority in order to hasten the final vote on the measure. — oregonlive, 10 June 2021 Effective May 14, Target will temporarily suspend sales of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards in stores, the retailer said. — Brett Molina, USA TODAY, 14 May 2021 The company also had to suspend its pipeline in 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast. — Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN, 8 May 2021 The city charter provided no recourse to suspend a councilmember in the event he or she is arrested, instead leaving it to the state attorney general or prosecuting attorney. — Sharon Coolidge, The Enquirer, 4 May 2021 The virus outbreak caused Barbera to suspend jury trials in March 2020. — Tim Prudente, baltimoresun.com, 27 Apr. 2021

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.