First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1suspect
adjective sus·pect \ˈsəs-ˌpekt, sə-ˈspekt\
: not able to be trusted : causing feelings of doubt or suspicion
Full Definition of SUSPECT
1
2
: doubtful, questionable <whose skills are suspect — Peter Vecsey>
See suspect defined for English-language learners
See suspect defined for kids
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Origin of SUSPECT
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin suspectus, from past participle of suspicere
Related to SUSPECT
- Synonyms
- debatable, disputable, dodgy [chiefly British], doubtable, dubious, dubitable, equivocal, fishy, problematic (also problematical), queer, questionable, shady, shaky, doubtful, suspicious
Rhymes with SUSPECT
abject, advect, affect, aspect, bisect, cathect, collect, confect, connect, convect, correct, cowl-necked, defect, deflect, deject, detect, direct, Dordrecht, effect, eject, elect, erect, ewe-necked, expect, goosenecked, infect, inflect, inject, insect, inspect, neglect, object, pandect, porrect, prefect, prelect, project, prospect, protect, refect, reflect, reject, resect, respect, ring-necked, roll-necked, select, stiff-necked, subject, traject, transect, trisect, Utrecht, V-necked
2suspect
noun sus·pect \ˈsəs-ˌpekt\
: a person who is believed to be possibly guilty of committing a crime
: a thing that is thought of as a possible cause of something bad
Full Definition of SUSPECT
: one that is suspected; especially : a person suspected of a crime
See suspect defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of SUSPECT
1591
Other Legal Terms
3suspect
verb sus·pect \sə-ˈspekt\
: to think that (someone) is possibly guilty of a crime or of doing something wrong
: to think that (something) is possibly the cause of something bad
: to think that (a crime) has possibly been committed
Full Definition of SUSPECT
transitive verb
1
: to imagine (one) to be guilty or culpable on slight evidence or without proof <suspect him of giving false information>
2
: to have doubts of : distrust <suspects her motives>
3
: to imagine to exist or be true, likely, or probable <I suspect he's right>
intransitive verb
: to imagine something to be true or likely
See suspect defined for English-language learners
Origin of SUSPECT
SUSPECT Defined for Kids
1suspect
verb sus·pect \sə-ˈspekt\
sus·pect·edsus·pect·ing
Definition of SUSPECT for Kids
1
: to suppose to be true or likely <I hid the money where no one would suspect.>
2
: to have doubts of : distrust <I suspect his reasons for helping.>
3
: to imagine to be guilty without proof <“And if anyone here suspects us of murder, forget it, we both have … alibis.” — Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game>
2suspect
noun sus·pect \ˈsə-ˌspekt\
Definition of SUSPECT for Kids
: a person who is thought to be guilty of something
3suspect
adjective sus·pect \ˈsə-ˌspekt, sə-ˈspekt\
Definition of SUSPECT for Kids
: thought of with suspicion <Her honesty is suspect.>
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Next Word in the Dictionary: suspectablePrevious Word in the Dictionary: suspAll Words Near: suspect
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