suspense

noun

sus·​pense sə-ˈspen(t)s 

1

: the state of being suspended : suspension

2

a

: mental uncertainty : anxiety

b

: pleasant excitement as to a decision or outcome

a novel of suspense

3

: the state or character of being undecided or doubtful : indecisiveness

suspenseful

sə-ˈspen(t)s-fəl 

adjective

suspensefully

sə-ˈspen(t)s-fə-lē 

adverb

suspensefulness

sə-ˈspen(t)s-fəl-nəs 

noun

suspenseless

sə-ˈspen(t)s-ləs 

adjective

Synonyms of suspense

• suspension

Examples of suspense in a Sentence

I can't bear the suspense.

The suspense builds as the story progresses.

Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense.

The movie is a suspense thriller.

Recent Examples on the Web

At that time, however, the gap between the second-place contenders exceeded 238,000 votes from the start, leaving little room for suspense. —Franklin Briceño, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026

Prime Video has committed to seven Filipino Prime Original series through its local slate event in the Philippines, forging content partnerships with networks ABS-CBN and GMA across genres spanning political thriller, family drama, psychological suspense, romance, crime and comedy. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Apr. 2026

Drunken Birds actor Marine Johnson and Italy’s Luca Colucci have nabbed lead roles in Kim Nguyen’s The Hourglass suspense drama, which has started production in The Canary Islands in Spain. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026

Beyond the rivalry between Pogačar and Vingegaard, the possible participation in the Tour of young prodigy Paul Seixas could add an extra layer of suspense. —ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, in the phrase in suspence "in abeyance, in a state of uncertainty," borrowed from Anglo-French en suspens, borrowed from Medieval Latin in suspensō, from ablative of Latin suspensus or suspensum, noun derivative from past participle of suspendere "to suspend"

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing suspense

• in suspense
• suspense account
• the suspense is killing me

Rhymes for suspense

• commence
• condense
• defence
• defense
• dispense
• expense
• fourpence
• halfpence
• immense
• incense
• intense
• missense

Kids Definition

suspense

noun

sus·​pense sə-ˈspen(t)s 

1

: the state of being suspended : suspension

2

a

: mental uncertainty : anxiety

b

: pleasant excitement caused by wondering what will happen

a novel of suspense

3

: the state of being undecided

suspenseful

-fəl 

adjective