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

On Friday, Thiem had just broken Djokovic to go up a break at 3-1 in the third set when their match was suspended because of a shower. — Washington Post, "Djokovic Slam run ends at French; Thiem vs. Nadal in final," 9 June 2019 Their semifinal, played second Friday, was suspended for the day in the third set because of rain in the evening. — Howard Fendrich, courant.com, "Federer can’t handle wind or Nadal in three-set French Open loss," 7 June 2019 Barbashev is the second Blues player to be punished by the league during the Final, after center Oskar Sundqvist was suspended for Game 3 as the result of a hit that left Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk with a concussion. — Helene Elliott, latimes.com, "Stanley Cup Final: Blues’ Ivan Barbashev suspended for Game 6," 7 June 2019 Henry was suspended before leaving the Seminoles after off-the-field problems and continued to make poor decisions while starring on Netflix's Last Chance U. However, the junior college transfer landed at Nevada and had a great spring. — Iliana Limón Romero, orlandosentinel.com, "2019 College Football Rankings: No. 80 Nevada pushes to move up in Mountain West," 6 June 2019 Shortly after play was suspended, a real storm arrived. — Howard Fendrich, chicagotribune.com, "Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are set for another matchup at the French Open," 4 June 2019 This year's event is the 103rd running; the race was suspended for a total of five years during the two world wars. — Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, "Everything You Need to Know about the Indianapolis 500," 25 May 2019 The Treasury has been using extraordinary measures to keep making on-time payments to bondholders and other federal benefit recipients since March 2, when the borrowing limit, or debt ceiling, was reinstated after being suspended for a year. — Kate Davidson, WSJ, "U.S. Could Run Out of Room on Debt Ceiling in Late Summer, Mnuchin Says," 22 May 2019 Ball’s discipline, called aerial circus and popularized by Cirque du Soleil, entails doing tricks on fabric, rope, trapeze, hoop, or other apparatuses suspended in the air. — Susie Armitage, SELF, "This Is How an Aerial Performer Restarted Her Career After Having Both Feet Amputated," 23 Jan. 2019

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.