as in defendant
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in to guess
to form an opinion from little or no evidence
we suspected that the runaway was a little younger than the 16 she claimed to be—more like 13
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to doubt
to have no trust or confidence in
I suspected him from the moment he said he was an old friend of my sister's, since I probably would have heard about him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged
since she was carrying no cash or credit cards, her claim to the store's detectives that she had intended to pay for the items was suspect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suspect
Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Nancy Guthrie's Nest doorbell cam records masked suspect Her Nest doorbell camera was missing, but the FBI and Google were able to recover video of a masked suspect at her doorstep.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 25 Mar. 2026
Police are searching for a man suspected of fatally shooting his wife and another man in a library parking lot in Vero Beach, Florida, authorities said Wednesday.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Noun
In the film: Kimble returned incognito to do research on potential one-armed suspects.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Nancy Guthrie's Nest doorbell cam records masked suspect Her Nest doorbell camera was missing, but the FBI and Google were able to recover video of a masked suspect at her doorstep.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Verb
Two men suspected of being connected with the arson attack on four ambulances outside the Machzike Hadath synagogue in London were arrested on Wednesday.
—Washington Examiner Staff, The Washington Examiner, 25 Mar. 2026
Police are searching for a man suspected of fatally shooting his wife and another man in a library parking lot in Vero Beach, Florida, authorities said Wednesday.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspect
Noun
-
All three co-defendants have pleaded not guilty in their cases.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
One morning, Amber Lowrey, the sister of a defendant named Savanna Batten, showed up early after dropping her kids off at school.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Rita Ora guessed Vanessa Carlton, Ken Jeong guessed Lea Michele and Robin Thicke guessed Michelle Branch.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Because of Sterling’s ability, Harvard-Westlake reached the CIF Southern Section Open Division final — a mountaintop no regional pundit would’ve guessed.—
Tarek Fattal,
Daily News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Eventually, Paula begins to doubt herself and her sense of reality.—
Emma Bowman,
NPR,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Dreaming, being bold and being ambitious are part of our job — just like doubting.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
However merry the mayhem of the movie dorm on Broadway, the sustainability of it all was starting to seem questionable.—
Lena Dunham,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Initially listed as questionable for the game with back spasms, Norman Powell on Sunday morning was downgraded to out because of an upper respiratory illness.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In their latest motion, Zeigler’s attorneys say that Marques’ and other judges over the years have overlooked Felton Thomas and Edward Williams — two Black laborers who testified against Zeigler at his 1976 trial — as culprits.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The unnamed culprit throughout the conference was Nvidia, which recently got approval from both governments to sell advanced AI chips to China.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Gentry has served Charlotte since 1991 and assumed official leadership of the airport in 2021.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
As explained by the bank earlier in the week, its commodities strategists expect Brent crude to average $105 in March, spike to $115 in April, and then gradually retreat to $80 in the fourth quarter, assuming flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain severely disrupted for roughly six weeks.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
If someone invokes these rights, police are supposed to stop questioning them immediately.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Quinn says investigators questioned his story.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Banks are required by law to report suspicious activity in customer accounts to federal authorities in order to flag potential criminal activity, such as money laundering or fraud.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
The idea was that a couple with a kid in tow wouldn’t look too suspicious taking a walk near a police station or an Army base.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspect. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
