Synonym Chooser

How is the word suspend distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of suspend are defer, postpone, and stay. While all these words mean "to delay an action or proceeding," suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

When would defer be a good substitute for suspend?

While the synonyms defer and suspend are close in meaning, defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

When can postpone be used instead of suspend?

Although the words postpone and suspend have much in common, postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

When might stay be a better fit than suspend?

The synonyms stay and suspend are sometimes interchangeable, but stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of suspend While judges can toll statutes of limitations, in effect suspending the statute to allow litigation, none in the Bailey, Chalmers, Pryor and Robinson cases found sufficient reason to do so. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Sep. 2025 For example, white supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes’ account was reinstated last year after being suspended in 2023. Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025 More than a decade after the Padres hired him away from the Texas Rangers, Preller remains a polarizing, win-at-all-costs executive who has twice been suspended by Major League Baseball. Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025 Reeve will be suspended for the team's next postseason game and ordered to pay an undisclosed fine. Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for suspend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspend
Verb
  • Fans have been waiting for Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor to duke it out in the octagon, but injuries and other factors have postponed the bout.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Chichester’s match against Lewes on Saturday was postponed and Tuesday night’s game against Cheshunt will not be going ahead either.
    Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Framed black and white photos of her now-adult children as youngsters hang along one wall, serving as a sweet reminder of days past.
    Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • The buck came directly to Piepenburg and began making a scrape almost directly under his hang-on stand.
    Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Medicare will not be interrupted by the shutdown because it’s classified as a mandatory government service.
    Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Will mail, flights get interrupted?
    David Ulloa Jr, AZCentral.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The officer swung his undercover truck around, radioing his team to converge on a man who was depositing a $50 bill into the machine.
    Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Advertisement Before the King can swing his blade, Ji-yeon gets in his way.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The government is in shutdown after the Senate adjourned Tuesday evening without passing a funding resolution, and the midnight deadline to keep all federal operations running passed.
    Joshua Sammons, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • After failing to pass the stopgap government funding bills on Wednesday, the Senate adjourned for the Yom Kippur holiday.
    Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • It’s located on the first floor, near Sebastian’s Bistro, a cafe with an executive sous chef that is also open to the public and decorated with dangling flying ibises, the bird that inspired UM’s mascot.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Seen dangling on James' black bag is the pink fuzzy, monster creature.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Suspend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspend. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on suspend

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