as in suspicious
inclined to doubt or question claims
suspecting dieters probably wouldn't fall for a weight-loss plan that claims you can eat as much as you want
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in guessing
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 doubting
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suspecting
Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Three people suspecting in a series of pickpocket crimes in San Francisco's Chinatown were arrested over the weekend after a weeks-long investigation, police said Tuesday.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Non-human identities already outnumber humans by roughly 50 to 1 in the average enterprise, with over two-thirds of enterprises suspecting that AI agents have accessed unauthorized data.
—Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Investigators had been suspecting that Rebecca's son, Michael, had been a part of the plot.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
But wouldn’t unwarrantedly suspecting a partner, or a father, of such heinous crimes in fact be its own kind of monstrousness?
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
Surely seventh graders are capable of understanding that people need to get along with one another, rather than living in a constant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm.
—Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Surely seventh-graders are capable of understanding that people need to get along with one another, rather than living in a constant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
That’s partly because girls are less frequently diagnosed with ADHD than boys are, so many adult women live their whole life with the disorder without ever suspecting it.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
On May 28, 2023, Chow and his son, Andy Chow, pursued Cormack-Belton out of their Columbia, South Carolina, convenience store after suspecting him of shoplifting.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 June 2026
Three people suspecting in a series of pickpocket crimes in San Francisco's Chinatown were arrested over the weekend after a weeks-long investigation, police said Tuesday.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Non-human identities already outnumber humans by roughly 50 to 1 in the average enterprise, with over two-thirds of enterprises suspecting that AI agents have accessed unauthorized data.
—Anjana Susarla, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Investigators had been suspecting that Rebecca's son, Michael, had been a part of the plot.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
But wouldn’t unwarrantedly suspecting a partner, or a father, of such heinous crimes in fact be its own kind of monstrousness?
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 15 May 2026
Surely seventh graders are capable of understanding that people need to get along with one another, rather than living in a constant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm.
—Judith Martin, Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Surely seventh-graders are capable of understanding that people need to get along with one another, rather than living in a constant state of alarm, suspecting that others mean us harm.
—Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 30 Mar. 2026
That’s partly because girls are less frequently diagnosed with ADHD than boys are, so many adult women live their whole life with the disorder without ever suspecting it.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspecting
Adjective
-
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
-
Create a family script for suspicious calls None of the protections above stops a phone call.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
The Bot gets 1 point for beating me but loses it for guessing in five.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
His ability to throw three different fastballs kept Seattle’s hitters guessing.—
Jaylon Thompson
May 23,
Kansas City Star,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
But doubting the Golden Knights doesn’t end well.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
That said, there’s little doubting Ross’ competence or professionalism.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
19 May 2026
Adjective
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But it's also made people even more skeptical of public figures whose appearances seem naturally frozen in time.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Many consumers are wary, skeptical, and even disgusted by AI content in ads.—
Melissa A. Wheeler,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Massamba Diop has one of the highest ceilings of any transfer, and Braden Huff returns with the best hook shot in college hoops (assuming JT Toppin doesn’t play this season).—
CJ Moore
June 2,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
How data has helped root out discrimination The more imminent change, assuming the EEOC's proposals go forward, is the demise of the agency's annual collection of employee demographics.—
Andrea Hsu,
NPR,
1 June 2026
Verb
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But now parents – and one county commissioner – are questioning the role technology plays in learning.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
2 June 2026
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Reyes was taken into custody by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and turned over to the FBI for questioning, according to the documents.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
Long periods of high gas prices (of which the tax is a small piece) do seem to produce higher transit ridership, a shift to more fuel-efficient or electric vehicles, and more cautious choices about living far from work and amenities.—
Henry Grabar,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
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The more a decision requires navigating ambiguity rather than optimizing a clear objective, the more cautious organizations should be in delegating it to AI, and the more AI needs to be augmented by human experience, judgment, and deep expertise.—
Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Even supposing the pledges in the 1990s documents amounted to a crime, the legal deadline for bringing mortgage fraud charges has expired.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suspecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspecting. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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