Synonyms of suspects

suspects 1 of 2

noun

plural of suspect

as in defendants

Related Words

• defendants
• culprits
• criminals
• detainees
• offenders
• arrestees
• fish
• accomplices
• accused
• lawbreakers
• principals
• crooks
• outlaws
• misdemeanants
• miscreants
• malefactors
• perpetrators
• convicts
• desperadoes
• perps
• villains
• jailbirds
• trespassers
• wrongdoers
• thugs
• gangsters
• hoodlums
• transgressors
• sinners
• mobsters
• hooligans
• racketeers
• evildoers
• misdoers
• misfeasors
• gallows birds
• button men
• blackhanders

Dissimilar Words

• lawmen
• gangbusters

suspects

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of suspect

1

as in guesses

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

• guesses
• assumes
• supposes
• thinks
• suspicions
• presumes
• speculates
• surmises
• imagines
• conjectures
• believes
• daresays
• deduces
• infers
• concludes
• expects
• hypothesizes
• theorizes
• gathers
• judges
• hypothecates
• conceives
• reckons
• takes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• proves
• demonstrates
• documents
• establishes
• determines
• learns
• validates
• substantiates
• finds out
• ascertains

2

as in doubts

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

• doubts
• questions
• distrusts
• mistrusts
• misdoubts
• disbelieves
• discounts
• negates
• discredits

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• depends (on or upon)
• banks (on or upon)
• trusts
• relies (on or upon)
• counts (on or upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of suspects

Noun

Two suspects hit several businesses in the Fairfax District early Tuesday morning, with one suspect in police custody. — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 6 May 2026

Deem fired his weapon at the suspects, but no injuries were reported, and the disturbance suspect has not been apprehended. — Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 25 Nov. 2025

One of the suspects was found guilty of first-degree murder in June 2021, among a list of other charges, while the other suspect pleaded guilty in early 2020 to 17 counts, including murder charges. — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025

Verb

But Songlian soon suspects that the real danger lies with the seemingly kindly but secretly conniving Second Mistress (Cao Cuifen). — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026

But Pessiglione suspects that psychological factors, such as motivations and beliefs, also play a key role. — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 4 Nov. 2026

Ownbey suspects it was used like to a type of caulk to insulate the walls. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 2 Nov. 2026

Campen, the University of New Mexico microplastics researcher, suspects people at the time could not fully understand the implications of the findings. — Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

Kaula suspects a few of his colleagues were trapped in the basement. — Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

McDowell suspects the engine fired slightly harder or longer than intended. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026

Nina Sosanya voices the local veterinarian, who discovers strange objects inside her animal patients and suspects Bigfoot is on the loose, while Bitzer sets out to find his missing master. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026

Dubrow suspects that the latest wave of online ridicule could also have consequences beyond a few bruised egos. — Clara Molot, Vanity Fair, 21 Oct. 2026