suspect 1 of 3

noun

Definition of suspectnext
as in defendant

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

suspect

2 of 3

verb

sə-ˈspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
1
as in to guess
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 to doubt
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

suspect

3 of 3

adjective

ˈsə-ˌspekt How to pronounce suspect (audio)
as in questionable
giving good reason for being doubted, questioned, or challenged since she was carrying no cash or credit cards, her claim to the store's detectives that she had intended to pay for the items was suspect

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 suspect
Noun
There are multiple victims and a suspect, who have all been identified, O'Donnell said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 The 61-year-old male driver of the Toyota suffered a left rib fracture, while the suspect reported head pain. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
Verb
The cause of the flooding remains unclear, though scientists suspect a glacier collapse and say climate change may have contributed. — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026 Until the Galileo spacecraft photographed Ida and Dactyl, astronomers suspected some asteroids could have their own moons, but Galileo proved it once and for all. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for suspect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspect
  1. defendant
  2. guess
  3. doubt
  4. questionable
  5. culprit
  6. assume
  7. question
  8. suspicious
Noun
  • Benjamin Song, the lead defendant in the Texas case, furthered his activist career in a leftist gun club that used the A/I Collective’s NoBlogs platform to post pro-insurrection messaging.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Surveillance video from the Cedar Glenn complex showed Brunson, Newman, and another unnamed co-defendant jumping a fence, approaching a Chevrolet Suburban, and fleeing after being confronted by a witness.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of defendant
Verb
  • Trust grows when transformation is communicated clearly instead of left for others to guess.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Their performances keep the audience guessing about both characters until Holloway finally brings the pieces together in a tremendously satisfying finale.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of guess
Verb
  • An April Politico poll shows Republicans are much more likely to doubt the science behind vaccines instead of saying the science is clear when compared to Democrats.
    — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Without a clear message from Warsh, investors began to doubt the Fed’s inflation-fighting resolve.
    — Brian Cheung, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of doubt
Adjective
  • Currently at issue are three forms of gambling — two legal, one questionable.
    — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Johnny Marr has another message for those with questionable perspectives.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of questionable
Noun
  • Over the years, culprits have ranged from El Niño and climate change to the World Trade Organization, rock ‘n’ roll music and the fluoridation of water.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian and Stephen Henriques, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Dakik flagged artificial sweeteners and excess caffeine as culprits.
    — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of culprit
Verb
  • Goldman’s model assumes SMIC will add between 30,000 and 50,000 advanced-node wafers in monthly capacity each year from 2026 through 2031.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Golden Tempo, meanwhile, assumed his position near the back of the field as his deep closing style has delivered huge glory in the past.
    — Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of assume
Verb
  • Critics also questioned whether UCLA’s athletic department had adapted quickly enough to the NIL era.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • At Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, Muslim students had used a spare classroom to pray without incident from 2009 to 2017, when Paxton’s office sent the district a letter questioning whether other students were being excluded.
    — Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of question
Adjective
  • Luke Halls’ video and projections add another layer of visual unease, allowing screens and technology inside the home to become as suspicious as its shadowy corners.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • As Joan Acocella wrote for this magazine, in 2008, a suspicious number of cures happen to include alcohol as a main ingredient.
    — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of suspicious

Browse Nearby Words

susceptiveness
suspect
suspected
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Suspect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suspect. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All