How to Use suspense in a Sentence

suspense

noun
Definition of suspensenext
Synonyms for suspensenext
  • The movie is a suspense thriller.
  • I can't bear the suspense.
  • The suspense builds as the story progresses.
  • Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense.
  • Having the same handful of shows win again and again and again and again sucks all the suspense out of the evening(*).
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2024
  • And the buildup to the creation of the first atomic bomb just about ticks with cosmic suspense.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 July 2023
  • The films are based on the 1973 young-adult suspense novel by Lois Duncan.
    — Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Feb. 2023
  • Much of the film’s suspense comes from the sheer pleasure of discovery.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023
  • To break the suspense: Eliade was an anti-Semite and a full member of the Iron Guard.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harper's Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Bills that remain in the committee’s suspense file are dead for the year.
    — Laurel Rosenhall, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023
  • Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sure do know how to build suspense.
    — Louisa Ballhaus, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2023
  • The race was still too close to call, meaning the suspense will continue.
    — Katie Wadington, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2022
  • Many begged for spoilers, saying that the suspense was killing them.
    — Amanda Taub, New York Times, 8 Dec. 2023
  • After a moment of suspense, the door fell shut, and Raff relaxed.
    — Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
  • Though violence seems inevitable, the question of whether the crops will survive the first frost is a source of equal suspense.
    — Alex Barasch, The New Yorker, 28 Jan. 2024
  • The murder mystery was full of suspense with a bit of comedy.
    — Arkansas Online, 4 Dec. 2022
  • The Atkins legislation, known as Senate Bill 519, was sent to what’s called the suspense file last month.
    — Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Just being incognito, the suspense, that's a whole 'nother thing.
    — Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2022
  • If no response is received within 30 days, the voter is placed on the suspense list.
    — Dallas News, 31 Mar. 2023
  • Many categories feel like a lock, but there still is an air of suspense about a couple of the top contests.
    — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 8 Mar. 2024
  • And its greatest source of suspense is how much the guests, who rotate every few episodes, will tip at the end of each charter.
    — Meredith Blakestaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2022
  • Heather unlocks and opens the door, and the video flashes and ends, an editing decision to build suspense about who was there.
    — Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Dec. 2022
  • If the Ducks can build a multi-score cushion before halftime, there might not be much suspense at the end.
    — Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2022
  • The last act, where Rin is rounded up and brought back to the village, does add some late suspense to the plot, with the others left to decide what to do with her.
    — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2022
  • The film, which is just over an hour long, dishes out some smart twists and a few good laughs, as well as a decent level of suspense.
    — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023
  • The weather was the perfect plot device for suspense and a possible reveal at the end of the story.
    — Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 15 Jan. 2024
  • This was, at the time, a symbolic gesture, which the film injects with a little too much suspense.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
  • In the 2018 horror film, sign language adds to the suspense and rules of the story because its characters must not speak to stay alive.
    — David Zimmermann, National Review, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Morocco then missed late chances to seal it with Mulenga pulling off two saves in stoppage time to keep the suspense to the end.
    — CiarÁn Fahey, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024
  • There was no suspense or subterfuge involving the pick.
    — Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 23 June 2023

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

Last Updated: