as in defendant
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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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suspect
Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
The suspect was ultimately acquitted after claiming self-defense, stating that Marshall and Payne were trying to rob him.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Scientists had suspected that the trench fauna depended on chemosynthesis, a process used by organisms living near hydrothermal vents that derive energy from chemicals rather than sunlight.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Noun
The suspect was found hiding in a cave – nearly three days after the first victim was discovered.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
The suspect was ultimately acquitted after claiming self-defense, stating that Marshall and Payne were trying to rob him.
—Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Verb
The marshals initially suspect Rainwater's adversary on the Broken Rock council, Nathan Irons (Gary Nohealii), who is found dead of an apparent suicide.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Scientists had suspected that the trench fauna depended on chemosynthesis, a process used by organisms living near hydrothermal vents that derive energy from chemicals rather than sunlight.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspect
Noun
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The 41-person state agency contracts with roughly 1,200 attorneys and support staff statewide to represent indigent defendants.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
27 May 2026
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In the span of two years, this defendant had six separate contacts with the justice system.—
Mike Hellgren,
CBS News,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Some guessed Gadd's Donny became a stalker himself by the end of that Netflix miniseries.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
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Competitive Wordle Score The Bot and I each get 1 point for guessing in three and zero for tying.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Some analysts, though, doubted Ackman’s offer would go far.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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But doubting the Golden Knights doesn’t end well.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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While the veracity of those statements is, at best, questionable, the final entry in the saga of games going to space features Microsoft’s AR HoloLens technology.—
William Worrall,
Space.com,
30 May 2026
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Borg’s aggressive send of Adames was just one of the questionable decisions Borg made in his two months as San Francisco’s third-base coach.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Officials said death caps in particular have been the culprit behind a majority of cases, but there are no data on precisely how many are associated with each particular wild mushroom.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
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This can occur with or without skin markings, which may be mistaken for seemingly benign culprits like bug bites or an allergic reaction.—
Alyssa Sparacino,
Glamour,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Stankoven, a few months away from assuming a larger place of prominence in Carolina’s lineup as second-line center, took notes.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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But public‑private agreements are routinely renegotiated when financial conditions change, and asking the Padres to assume more expenses is an appropriate, good‑faith request.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Verb
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While DeGette has focused her comments on the need for humanitarian aid, Kiros has more directly criticized Israel and questioned its legitimacy as a state.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
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Some questioned the legitimacy of the agreement since Burke had donated to the political campaigns of several council members who approved the settlement.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
30 May 2026
Adjective
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Southlake police stopped an in-progress forgery at a bank after staff notified them about suspicious activity, officials said in a Facebook post.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2026
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Create a family script for suspicious calls None of the protections above stops a phone call.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspect. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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