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
Relevance
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
as in defendant
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suspect
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
State prosecutors in Manhattan brought charges Wednesday against the suspects involved in the July shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent in an uptown park.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025
Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Tucker, who said Anderson has been taking his medication, suspects something is amiss amid the news of the discovery and identification of remains.
—David Chiu, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Verb
After he was identified as the suspect in the case, interest in the case peaked.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Aug. 2025
State prosecutors in Manhattan brought charges Wednesday against the suspects involved in the July shooting of an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent in an uptown park.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Simon suspects Northwestern closed the lab to comply with the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
—Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025
Tucker, who said Anderson has been taking his medication, suspects something is amiss amid the news of the discovery and identification of remains.
—David Chiu, People.com, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspect
Verb
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The Bot gets 1 point for guessing in three and 1 for beating me.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
-
While watching, fans of the OG series will be unable not to guess which character is most like their favorite original characters.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Marsh doubted how that experience would translate to full-time point guard duties.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
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But at no time did the always upbeat Harris doubt his team and heading into the 2025 season, there appears to be plenty of reason for optimism despite the graduation of 23 seniors, including his quarterback, Ty Hurst.—
Steve Brand,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The clubs engaged in an arms race that many of them could not afford and which was financed either with debt or the cash of questionable characters.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Well, not just them: also some of our most questionable corporations.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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All of the defendants facing ongoing cases — like Wise — had their charges dismissed.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are named as defendants.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Villasenor cautions against assuming this only happens to caregivers who are older or fit some other demographic criteria that research doesn’t support.—
Adrienne Farr,
Parents,
7 Aug. 2025
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Professors assume students who skip class regularly lack commitment to learning.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Parents had questioned the safety of the roof installation and associated smells, prompting the district to conduct air quality tests, according to an Aug. 1 letter to parents.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The crowd also questioned the president's approach to immigration enforcement.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The body of a missing 15-year-old boy was discovered this week at a Detroit cemetery under suspicious circumstances.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Investigators did note that nothing suspicious was found, Rhodes said in an update.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee,
Kansas City Star,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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On the goods side, higher food prices were the biggest culprit behind a 0.7% monthly increase.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
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Foot traffic at Target fell year over year for the sixth consecutive month in July, and while the slump began the week after the retailer backtracked on its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, some analysts say the real culprit is that Target is slipping on retail basics.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspect. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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