suss

1 of 2

verb

ˈsəs 

sussed; sussing; susses

transitive verb

1

chiefly British : figure out

—usually used with out

2

chiefly British : to inspect or investigate so as to gain more knowledge

—usually used with out

suss

2 of 2

adjective

less common spelling of sus

slang

: suspicious, suspect

… things became a bit sus when there was a dubious fire on the premises …

—Shannen Findlay

Last week, American Airlines took its turn, canceling over 1,600 flights. Weather was dutifully blamed again, along with staffing shortages. But the latter excuse is, as the kids say, pretty sus. Airlines that accepted federal pandemic relief money (and they all did) were barred from laying off workers.

—Amy Roberts

I used to think that at-home hair colors and dyes were kind of sus, and that there was absolutely no way you could get salon-level color from a box.

—Ama Kwarteng

… she has not questioned how De Bruijn was able to swim that fast, at least not publicly. Others have. "Pretty suss" is the way [Australia's Susie O'Neill] described it …

—Jack McCallum

Examples of suss in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

To suss that out, First Street looked back on data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s network of air quality sensors across the nation. —Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Feb. 2024

Our ability to suss this out is step one of understanding fully what this looks like. —Angus Chen, STAT, 8 Nov. 2023

What would be your best options to escape Recommended Not recommended Run Hide Strike back The werewolf’s sense of smell will likely suss you out, so hide in a place where its claws can’t reach you. —Manuel Canales, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2023

Bring it to a healthcare provider, who can help suss things out and recommend alternative beverages that don't lead to farting. 2. —Jessica Migala, Health, 4 Aug. 2023

How to treat it: Your family medicine doctor or gyno will be able to suss this one out via an exam and honest convo with you. —Women's Health, 8 June 2023

All Beverly’s family members were keen to suss Bo out, and no one wanted to miss the occasion. —Francesca Street, CNN, 14 Apr. 2023

Another approach is to suss out how a drive-by Facebook poster came to believe a theory in the first place. —Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 11 May 2020

These signs don’t shy away from deep and heavy conversations and can typically suss out what someone’s got going on beneath the surface, says Narayana Montúfar, senior astrologer at Astrology.com. —Aryelle Siclait, Women's Health, 7 Feb. 2023

Adjective

The timing of the bridal launch may strike some people as slightly suss, as the rumors that Mr. and Mrs. Bieber are heading for divorce are only gaining steam. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2024

But paying such close attention to the other guy’s very fancy shoes, to say nothing of the dimensions of his body, is, as the kids say, a bit suss and precisely what makes Trump’s insult camp. —Gabriel N. Rosenberg, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Verb

by shortening & alteration from suspect

First Known Use

Verb

1966, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing suss

• suss out