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
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
After initially suspecting a bullet or debris flicked up by a truck, the police ruled out both.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Indianapolis police eventually ruled it an accident after initially suspecting Mark Sanchez.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Anyone suspecting exposure is urged to seek medical advice immediately.
—News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
After initially suspecting a bullet or debris flicked up by a truck, the police ruled out both.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
Indianapolis police eventually ruled it an accident after initially suspecting Mark Sanchez.
—Kevin Cusick, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2025
Anyone suspecting exposure is urged to seek medical advice immediately.
—News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspecting
Adjective
-
The committee has called on state officials to testify in closed-door, transcribed interviews, while requesting suspicious activity reports from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with a staff-level briefing from the Justice Department.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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When the publication of his article is followed by the suspicious suicide of Dale Washberg, Lee follows a trail of breadcrumbs to find out the truth.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In theory, people investing their money may be closely following certain events, but others could just be randomly guessing.—
Wyatte Grantham-Philips,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Jan. 2026
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Instead of guessing what to try first, Basin set me up for success from the start and offered me an overview of each treatment and the benefit of a thermotherapy circuit.—
Meaghan Kenny,
Condé Nast Traveler,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For the skeptically inclined, that reasoning might argue for doubting the existence of other minds, rather than for believing in God.—
Dan Turello,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
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But there’s no doubting the dysfunction that comes with the streak.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Others are more skeptical about whether Greenland’s critical and rare earth minerals can significantly reduce the West’s dependence on China, which produced 70% of rare earths in 2024, according to Statista.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
12 Jan. 2026
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Told of the contamination by the Free Press, Oquendo was skeptical that it was contaminated.—
Violet Ikonomova,
Freep.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Ahead of that, the Duke of Sussex will host a one year to go celebration in July 2026—which, assuming their security is sorted, Meghan Markle could also attend.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
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As previously established, city code permits those, assuming riders aren’t operating them recklessly.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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He was held for questioning for two days, but released without charges in connection to her death.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Roughly 20 parents spoke to the school board Thursday night questioning what would happen if Blanton closed.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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But trading volumes remain low, with investors remaining cautious about the impact of lower oil prices, government spending cuts, and the outlook for corporate earnings.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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But once the horrible pol is gone, stronger but more cautious candidates emerge.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 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 19 Jan. 2026.
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