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 of suspend

• postpone
• interrupt
• adjourn

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

The governing body for soccer in Ireland voted Saturday to call for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel from competition. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025

Look, Penn State fans need something positive here to remember, so let’s turn to a White Out in 2013 when Robinson soared far above Channing Stribling, seemingly suspended in midair, to haul in a miracle heave from Christian Hackenberg that set up a tying touchdown en route to a four-overtime win. —The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025

Major League Baseball suspended five players in June 2024, including a lifetime ban for San Diego infielder Tucupita Marcano for allegedly placing 387 baseball bets with a legal sportsbook totaling more than $150,000. —NPR, 9 Nov. 2025

Relief pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both of whom were suspended by Major League Baseball this past season as the league investigated accusations of pitch rigging, were indicted on charges of fraud, conspiracy and bribery, federal prosecutors announced Sunday. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English suspenden "to hang up, place under suspension, debar, defer," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French suspendre, borrowed from Latin suspendere "to hang from a single point of support, make contingent (on), kill by hanging, maintain in raised position, keep in uncertainty, break off temporarily," from sus-, assimilated form of subs-, variant of sub- "up from below" + pendere "to weigh, have a weight, pay out" (presumably originally "to hang") — more at up entry 1}, {mat

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