suspend

verb

sus·​pend sə-ˈspend How to pronounce suspend (audio)
suspended; suspending; suspends
Synonyms of suspendnext

transitive verb

1
: to debar temporarily especially from a privilege, office, or function
suspend a student from school
2
a
: to cause to stop temporarily
suspend bus service
b
: to set aside or make temporarily inoperative
suspend the rules
3
: to defer to a later time on specified conditions
suspend sentence
4
: to hold in an undetermined or undecided state awaiting further information
suspend judgment
suspend disbelief
5
a
: hang
especially : to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support
suspend a ball by a thread
b
: to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support (such as buoyancy)
dust suspended in the air
c
: to put or hold in suspension
suspended sediment
6
a
: to keep fixed or lost (as in wonder or contemplation)
b
: to keep waiting in suspense or indecision
7
: to hold (a musical note) over into the following chord

intransitive verb

1
: to cease operation temporarily
2
: to stop payment or fail to meet obligations
3
: hang

Did you know?

When something is suspended, it is "left hanging;" it is neither in full operation nor permanently ended. Suspense is a state of uncertainty and maybe anxiety. When we watch a play or movie, we enjoy experiencing a "suspension of disbelief;" that is, we allow ourselves to believe we're watching reality, even though we aren't truly fooled.Suspension can also mean physical hanging; thus, in a suspension bridge, the roadway actually hangs from huge cables. When some substance is "in suspension", its particles are "hanging" in another substance, mixed into it but not actually dissolved, like fine sand in water, or sea spray in the air at the seashore.

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for suspend

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding.

defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Examples of suspend in a Sentence

He was suspended from the team for missing too many practices. The police officers were suspended without pay for their conduct. The principal suspended the student from school for fighting. The city suspended bus service during the storm. The company was forced to suspend operations. They have suspended the peace talks. I advise suspending judgment until the investigation is over. Her license to practice law was suspended. We can suspend the rules just this once. He's driving with a suspended license.
Recent Examples on the Web One of the five images from each of the artists was also printed onto fabric and suspended from the center of the exhibit. —David Graver, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024 The Supreme Court granted him the power to order the immediate removal of problematic content — and fine or suspend companies that did not comply. —Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024 Methylene chloride has long been commonly used in the decaf industry, but some companies have added alternative methods to their toolbox or suspended use entirely. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024 Uri Berliner was suspended Friday for five days without pay, NPR reported Tuesday. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024 Both are now suspended, although videos in which Fuentes questions the Holocaust still spread widely on X. Last year, the progressive watchdog Media Matters published a report saying Nazi content was running on X alongside advertisements from major corporations. —David Ingram, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2024 The board’s discipline order went into effect April 3, before the Superior Court suspended that discipline last week. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024 This is not the first time that the State Department has suspended regular visa service in Haiti, where both an escalation in gang violence and the COVID-19 pandemic created a backlog of applicants. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024 Trading of the company’s shares on the London Stock Exchange was briefly suspended Tuesday. —Vinamrata Chaturvedi, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suspend.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French suspendre, from Latin suspendere, from sub-, sus- up + pendere to cause to hang, weigh

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of suspend was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing suspend

Dictionary Entries Near suspend

suspecter

suspend

suspend between

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Suspend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suspend. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

suspend

verb
sus·​pend sə-ˈspend How to pronounce suspend (audio)
1
: to force to give up some right or position for a time
suspend a student from school
2
a
: to stop or do away with for a time
suspend bus service
b
: to put off on certain conditions
suspend a lawbreaker's sentence
3
a
: to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support
b
: to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support
dust suspended in the air
c
: to put or hold in suspension
suspended sediment

Legal Definition

suspend

transitive verb
sus·​pend
1
: to debar temporarily from a privilege, office, or function
2
a
: to stop temporarily
suspend trading
b
: to make temporarily ineffective
suspend a license
c
: stay
suspend a hearing
d
: to defer until a later time see also suspended sentence at sentence

More from Merriam-Webster on suspend

Nglish: Translation of suspend for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of suspend for Arabic Speakers

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