suspect definition | Dictionary.com

sus⋅pect

[v. suh-spekt; n. suhs-pekt; adj. suhs-pekt, suh-spekt]

–verb (used with object)

1.	to believe to be guilty, false, counterfeit, undesirable, defective, bad, etc., with little or no proof: to suspect a person of murder.

2.	to doubt or mistrust: I suspect his motives.

3.	to believe to be the case or to be likely or probable; surmise: I suspect his knowledge did not amount to much.

4.	to have some hint or foreknowledge of: I think she suspected the surprise.

–verb (used without object)

5.	to believe something, esp. something evil or wrong, to be the case; have suspicion.

–noun

6.	a person who is suspected, esp. one suspected of a crime, offense, or the like.

–adjective

7.	suspected; open to or under suspicion.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME (adj.) < L suspectāre, equiv. to su- su- + spectāre, freq. of specere to look at

Related forms:

sus⋅pect⋅i⋅ble, adjective

Synonyms:
3. guess, conjecture, suppose.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To suspect

sus·pect (sə-spěkt')

v. sus·pect·ed, sus·pect·ing, sus·pects

v. tr.

To surmise to be true or probable; imagine: I suspect they are very disappointed.
To have doubts about; distrust: I suspect his motives.
To think (a person) guilty without proof: The police suspect her of murder.

v.   intr.
To have suspicion.
n.   (sŭs'pěkt')
One who is suspected, especially of having committed a crime.
adj.   (sŭs'pěkt', sə-spěkt')
Open to or viewed with suspicion: a suspect policy; suspect motives.

[Middle English suspecten, from Old French suspecter, from Latin suspectāre, frequentative of suspicere, to look up at, suspect : su-, sub-, from below; see sub- + specere, to look at; see spek- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Suspect

Sus*pect"\, a. [L. suspectus, p. p. of suspicere to look up, admire, esteem, to look at secretly or askance, to mistrust; sub under + specere to look: cf. F. suspect suspected, suspicious. See Spy, and cf. Suspicion.]

1. Suspicious; inspiring distrust. [Obs.]

Suspect [was] his face, suspect his word also. --Chaucer.

2. Suspected; distrusted. [Obs.]

What I can do or offer is suspect. --Milton.

Suspect

Sus*pect"\, n. [LL. suspectus. See Suspect, a.]

1. Suspicion. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

So with suspect, with fear and grief, dismayed. --Fairfax.

2. One who, or that which, is suspected; an object of suspicion; -- formerly applied to persons and things; now, only to persons suspected of crime. --Bacon.

Suspect

Sus*pect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Suspected; p. pr. & vb. n. Suspecting.]

1. To imagine to exist; to have a slight or vague opinion of the existence of, without proof, and often upon weak evidence or no evidence; to mistrust; to surmise; -- commonly used regarding something unfavorable, hurtful, or wrong; as, to suspect the presence of disease.

Nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little; and therefore men should remedy suspicion by procuring to know more. --Bacon.

From her hand I could suspect no ill. --Milton.

2. To imagine to be guilty, upon slight evidence, or without proof; as, to suspect one of equivocation.

3. To hold to be uncertain; to doubt; to mistrust; to distruct; as, to suspect the truth of a story. --Addison.

4. To look up to; to respect. [Obs.]

Syn: To mistrust; distrust; surmise; doubt.

Suspect

Sus*pect"\, v. i. To imagine guilt; to have a suspicion or suspicions; to be suspicious.

If I suspect without cause, why then make sport at me. --Shak.

Language Translation for : suspect

Spanish: sospechar (de),

German: verdächtigen,

Japanese: 怪しむ

More Translations »

suspect (adj.)

1340, from O.Fr. suspect "suspicious," from L. suspectus "suspected, suspicious," pp. of suspicere "look up at, mistrust, suspect," from sub "up to" + specere "to look at" (see scope (1)). The notion is of "look at secretly," hence, "look at distrustfully." The verb is attested from 1483; the noun meaning "a suspected person" is first recorded 1591.

Main Entry: sus·pect
Pronunciation: 's&s-"pekt, s&-'spekt
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin suspectus, from past participle of suspicere to look up at, regard with awe, suspect, from sub- sus- up, secretly + specere to look at
: regarded or deserving to be regarded with suspicion or heightened scrutiny

Main Entry: sus·pect
Pronunciation: 's&s-"pekt
Function: noun
: a person suspected of a crime; also : a person apprehended for but not yet charged with an offense

Main Entry: sus·pect
Pronunciation: s&-'spekt
Function: transitive verb
1 : to imagine (one) to be guilty on slight evidence or without proof
2 : to imagine to exist or be probable suspect abuse>

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