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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suspecting
Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2026
Later, Zapata had her killed, suspecting her of being the mole.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
By episode five, Michael had moved on from suspecting Yam Yam to suspecting Colton, who was a ringleader in the previous episode’s banishment of Big Brother fan favorite Tiffany Mitchell.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
Coupled with the sight of her parents moving Christmas presents, blankets and their dog into the family car, Goodnight and her younger brother began suspecting the worst.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
Officials said the rest of the group exited the water shortly afterward, suspecting there had been a shark attack in their group.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 22 Dec. 2025
In Downers Grove, a few hundred demonstrators rallied outside a hotel after spotting Department of Homeland Security vehicles in the parking lot and suspecting ICE agents were lodging there.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
It’s informed by four or five other things, what to share and what not to share and paranoia around who knows what, and then people are suspecting you of something and trying not to seem suspicious.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
The comments on the video flooded with reactions to the spooky moment, with many suspecting her home might be haunted.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
Later, Zapata had her killed, suspecting her of being the mole.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Feb. 2026
By episode five, Michael had moved on from suspecting Yam Yam to suspecting Colton, who was a ringleader in the previous episode’s banishment of Big Brother fan favorite Tiffany Mitchell.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
Coupled with the sight of her parents moving Christmas presents, blankets and their dog into the family car, Goodnight and her younger brother began suspecting the worst.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
Officials said the rest of the group exited the water shortly afterward, suspecting there had been a shark attack in their group.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 22 Dec. 2025
In Downers Grove, a few hundred demonstrators rallied outside a hotel after spotting Department of Homeland Security vehicles in the parking lot and suspecting ICE agents were lodging there.
—Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 19 Dec. 2025
It’s informed by four or five other things, what to share and what not to share and paranoia around who knows what, and then people are suspecting you of something and trying not to seem suspicious.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
The comments on the video flooded with reactions to the spooky moment, with many suspecting her home might be haunted.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspecting
Adjective
-
Cavello said the mayor was in contact with the police commissioner and receiving information on the protest, counterprotest and the suspicious devices.—
Mark Crudele,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Mayor has spoken with Police Commissioner Tisch, and the NYPD is actively investigating the protest, counter-protest, and suspicious devices discovered outside Gracie Mansion.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That reduces the need for guessing and backtracking, and improves efficiency, the retail giant said.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Mar. 2026
-
For years now, there has been a lot of waiting, guessing and surely in-house prevaricating about who will be the next James Bond.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There is no doubting the collective clout of Zuffa’s powerbrokers, who are amongst the most formidable dealmakers operating in world sport, so while this may be a new frontier, they will not be fazed.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
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On Friday night, there was no doubting these Thomases.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Judge Paul Friedman appeared skeptical of government claims that the policy is necessary for national security.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
-
There were skeptical voices at MWC, pointing out the failures of AI projects as well as the opportunities.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From looks alone, you’d be forgiven for assuming the Grand America Hotel was nestled somewhere in the European Alps, as opposed to Salt Lake City’s Wasatch Rockies.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
-
But for a non-clairvoyant Bush II administration, assuming WMD under Saddam Hussein seemed the responsible thing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, voted against the program after similarly questioning why the city was starting its own when the state already had a similar initiative.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
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Older siblings or classmates might drop hints that leave children questioning what to believe during their Easter egg hunt.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
9 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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By contrast Zoox, acquired by Amazon in 2020, has been more cautious and careful to deploy a service on public streets.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
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Venezuelan players and coaches are incredibly cautious commenting publicly on politics of the country – to do so could draw additional attention to themselves.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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 14 Mar. 2026.
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