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

Lamming suspects that regular exercise, perhaps by using protein to build strong healthy muscles, helps protect people like athletes from the negative health effects associated with a protein-rich diet. — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 3 Aug. 2026

Anyone who suspects human trafficking can contact Florida’s trafficking hotline at 1-855-FLA-SAFE. — Eric Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Hudson suspects the book was lost within a few years of the library opening. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

According to Reuters, Washington suspects that Moscow has provided targeting information to Iran, enabling it to hit US military assets and perhaps even CIA facilities in the Gulf. — Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 30 July 2026

While Lanier gets sole screenplay credit, one suspects much improvisational input at work here from the practiced way the leads play off each other. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 28 July 2026

As for why only a small fraction of cells become cannibalistic, Larson suspects that there may be an evolutionary balance point based on some tradeoffs and constraints. — Jay Kakade july 23, Refractor, 23 July 2026

Given the unusual circumstances, Wells’ family suspects something nefarious could have happened to him and been covered up. — Adam Carlson, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

Anyone who has information regarding or suspects human trafficking can also call their local FBI office, the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center or their local police department. — Alexa Newsom, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026