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, 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

Although the wine mom has certain advantages for effecting political change in an age of hyperpolitics, one still suspects that the commonest usage of the term is rooted in reflexive, sexist disdain. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 May 2026

The changes allow any bank to place a hold on the accounts of adults with disabilities or older adults, if an employee suspects financial exploitation. —Dorothy Tucker, CBS News, 6 May 2026

Miss Manners suspects that many would be miffed — not only the mothers absent that day, but also (and perhaps especially) the non-parents who are gracious about concessions made to parents when their personal duties conflict with work. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 4 May 2026

The medical team suspects the medication isn't working. —Will Stone, NPR, 30 Apr. 2026

OpenAI suspects that Musk is using the litigation as a delay tactic while his own AI firm, xAI—recently folded into SpaceX—races to catch up to OpenAI’s lead after the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. —Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 27 Apr. 2026

Bonaca suspects that the walking improvements seen in trial participants who took semaglutide were likely from anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the vascular endothelial muscles. —Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 27 Apr. 2026

The German government suspects Russia is behind a series of phishing attacks on Signal targeting high-ranking politicians, including two government ministers, military personnel and journalists, a government spokesperson said. —ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026