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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suspects
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, 2 Oct. 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
Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Everyone suspects they’re being monitored, and even heroes of the state are fearful of being hauled off for no reason at all.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
King, for one, suspects that nutrition may be playing a particularly big role in Chinese communities, where Westernized menu items have made up a big part of the diet in recent years, including in China.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
When your medical team suspects sepsis, the clock starts.
—Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
Susannah Hoffman plays Othello’s wife, the eager, horribly innocent Desdemona; Brabantio, Desdemona’s disapproving father; and Cassio, the devoted lieutenant who Othello suspects is sleeping with Desdemona.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Her colleague and friend is Patricia (Victoria Luengo), who suspects her husband of cheating on her.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Andrews suspects that playing football well into his college years might have something to do with his condition, but CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that has been found in people exposed to repetitive head trauma — can be diagnosed only after a person dies.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
This is the timeframe during which the team suspects the supernova took place, blasting the material into space only to be embedded in the cloud.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 18 May 2026
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, 2 Oct. 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
Toney’s high school coach Mike Smith, who has developed more than his share of five-star recruits, including Patrick Surtain, Sony Michel and Brian Burns, suspects Toney didn’t get his due from the ranking systems because they’re based heavily on measurables.
—Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Everyone suspects they’re being monitored, and even heroes of the state are fearful of being hauled off for no reason at all.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
King, for one, suspects that nutrition may be playing a particularly big role in Chinese communities, where Westernized menu items have made up a big part of the diet in recent years, including in China.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026
When your medical team suspects sepsis, the clock starts.
—Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 24 May 2026
Susannah Hoffman plays Othello’s wife, the eager, horribly innocent Desdemona; Brabantio, Desdemona’s disapproving father; and Cassio, the devoted lieutenant who Othello suspects is sleeping with Desdemona.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
Her colleague and friend is Patricia (Victoria Luengo), who suspects her husband of cheating on her.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 19 May 2026
Andrews suspects that playing football well into his college years might have something to do with his condition, but CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that has been found in people exposed to repetitive head trauma — can be diagnosed only after a person dies.
—Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
This is the timeframe during which the team suspects the supernova took place, blasting the material into space only to be embedded in the cloud.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspects
Noun
-
Witnesses testify about defendants’ work ethic On Wednesday, Creeden’s wife, Peggy, told jurors that the two met in New Jersey and have been together for 53 years.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2026
-
Iwamasa was one of five defendants charged in connection with Perry’s death.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Seitz guesses this is what drew Audree in.—
Meena Duerson,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Anyone who guesses the date the snow pile will be fully melted can win a $20 Freedom card, good for a few train rides.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton doubts that Raúl Castro had any interest in making a deal that would satisfy the desire for democracy in Cuba.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
-
Who doubts the law would be enforced in a ham-handed way, with people being denied the presumption of innocence?—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Knowing what foods spike blood sugar — and which ones quietly slip past your radar — matters because the culprits aren’t always the sweet stuff.—
Samantha Agate,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2026
-
One of the biggest culprits has been slowing job growth, which has become downright anemic in the past year or so.—
Brett Owens,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
Much of that discussion still assumes people become stable immediately after leaving addiction treatment programs.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
The first claim assumes regulation has only one dimension.—
Jason Snyder,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
No one questions their autonomy.—
Robert Henderson,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Rawlence also questions whether what Colossal is doing is really reviving extinct species.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
-
Morrison has covered stories worldwide, interviewing everyone from presidents and prime ministers, student protesters under fire in Tiananmen Square, to criminals, teachers, artists, actors and authors.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Farrell supposes that no high school baseball team in the nation has traveled as much as Orange Lutheran has.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
2 May 2026
-
Leo’s fine, one supposes, as evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, but the role is not a natural fit for him.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suspects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspects. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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