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

Given the number of people involved in the current outbreak already, Mandrell suspects there may be multiple sources of contamination, since this is the time that the parasite generally flourishes. — Alice Park, Time, 17 July 2026

Then ask what the bank does when an employee suspects financial exploitation. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026

Thousands of California drivers are being required to retake their knowledge tests because the Department of Motor Vehicles suspects them of cheating. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

And, as with seemingly every modern problem, one suspects social media is at least partly to blame here. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026

The agency suspects that there is a six-week lag between illness and reporting to the CDC. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026

The test is also not included on all standard lab workups for stomach bugs, and may require a special order from the doctor who suspects it. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 13 July 2026

Val, a human resources executive at a Silicon Valley aerospace company, suspects that Leela, a first-generation Indian-American, was overlooked for a promotion. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 13 July 2026

Master suspects that last factor in particular may go a long way in explaining the ballooning schedules. — Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026