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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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suspect
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
The dispute came to a head when the suspect suddenly attacked the victim, repeatedly punching him in the face, said police.
—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2026
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
29 June 2026
It was suspected only eight inmates remained in the facility when SBI agents made entry to take them into custody, officials said.
—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Noun
Federal prosecutors charged the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen of California, with attempting to assassinate the president and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.
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Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
The dispute came to a head when the suspect suddenly attacked the victim, repeatedly punching him in the face, said police.
—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
26 June 2026
Verb
Arnold allegedly suspected that two of the three victims were responsible for the theft, though investigators ultimately determined that none of them were involved, Tampa police said.
—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
29 June 2026
It was suspected only eight inmates remained in the facility when SBI agents made entry to take them into custody, officials said.
—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for suspect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspect
Noun
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Within days, the defendants were arrested and charged.
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In Ohio, defendants are given 365 days to challenge their conviction after such transcripts are filed.
Verb
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The convention will feature panels focused on creativity, all-ages karaoke and anime-adjacent games such as trivia and guessing contests.
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The Bot gets 2 for guessing in two and 1 for beating me.
Verb
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All of those Republicans are seriously doubting the president here, Senator Graham.
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Some residents of northern Israel doubted the fighting would stop.
Adjective
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And the audio and video recording of women is a questionable feature of every camp – even if the men here don’t see it that way.
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And the majority of students who require calculus for their eventual major end up retaking the introductory college course anyway—suggesting that the high school rush to calculus provides questionable academic benefit for most who undertake it.
Noun
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So, if some of your favorite dishes don't have the same punch, expired spices could be the culprit.
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Take back your basement by letting go of these common clutter culprits.
Verb
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Sweden loses key piece The first half was a sloppy slugfest as both teams tried to use their physicality to assume control.
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John Murphy, president and chief financial officer, will assume the responsibilities in the interim, according to an announcement.
Verb
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Photos of Haaland on the tarmac posted to social media were riddled with homophobia and comments questioning the striker’s masculinity.
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Maps published by the Israeli government show the pilot zones encompassing the villages of Froun, Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh and Ghandouriyeh, but commentators question their value, noting Israel does not have a significant presence in those villages.
Adjective
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Norma was instantly suspicious.
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Ahead of the fateful trip to Zion, Bernadette was growing suspicious about Vander Meer’s behavior.
Cite this Entry
“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspect. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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