suspectverb [ T ]
uk/səˈspekt/us/səˈspekt/suspect verb [ T ] (THINK LIKELY)
B2 to think or believe something to be true or probable:
So far, the police do not suspect foul play.
[ + (that) ] We had no reason to suspect (that) he might try to kill himself.
"Do you think she'll have told them?" "I suspect not/so."
More examples
- I suspect he cheats the taxman .
- I don't really know how she got the job, but I suspect her mother's got contacts.
- We suspect he means to dishonour the agreement made three years ago.
- I suspect the doctor thought I was just another hysterical female.
- She has this apparent innocence which, I suspect, she uses to her advantage.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Guessing, supposing and suspecting
- approximate
- as much idiom
- call
- conjecture
- consider
- deem
- fall
- hypothesize
- jump
- jump to conclusions idiom
- mark
- mark sb down as sth
- misjudge
- pluck
- presume
- smell
- speculate
- surmise
- think
- think of sth/sb
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suspect verb [ T ] (THINK GUILTY)
B2 to think that someone has committed a crime or done something wrong:
No one knows who killed her, but the police suspect her husband.
The police suspect him of carrying out two bomb attacks.
Three suspected terrorists have been arrested.
More examples
- The police suspect him of fronting for a crime syndicate.
- The suspected murderer is being held at Belmarsh prison.
- Police suspect him of masterminding a drugs empire.
- She was suspected of selling stolen goods.
- I was wary about talking to a suspected criminal.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Guilty
- answerable
- blameworthy
- blood
- convict
- conviction
- culpable
- guilt
- have (sb's) blood on your hands idiom
- responsible
suspect verb [ T ] (DOUBT)
C2 to not trust; to doubt:
I have no reason to suspect her honesty/loyalty.
We suspected his motives in making his offer.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Suspecting & questioning
- call
- call into question idiom
- cynic
- dispute
- doubter
- I'd like to see... idiom
- if
- misgiving
- niggle
- query
- question
- reservation
- sceptical
- self-doubt
- skeptic
- skeptical
- smell
- smell a rat idiom
- suspiciously
- suss
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suspected
adjective uk/səˈspek.tɪd/us/səˈspek.tɪd/
Examples
- They've cordoned off the whole area because of a suspected bomb.
- The police have kept the nightclub under surveillance because of suspected illegal drug activity.
- He has to watch what he eats because of a suspected stomach ulcer.
- Her suspected interest in the takeover has been the subject of a lot of press reporting.
He has a suspected broken leg.
suspectnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈsʌs.pekt/us/ˈsʌs.pekt/B2 a person believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong, or something believed to have caused something bad:
Police have issued a photograph of the suspect.
The prime suspect in the case committed suicide.
No one knows what caused the outbreak of food poisoning, but shellfish is the main suspect (= is thought to have caused it).
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
People appearing in court
- defence
- defendant
- eyewitness
- Jane Doe
- John Doe
- respondent
- the accused
- undertrial
- v
- versus
- witness
Idiom(s)
the usual suspects
suspectadjective
uk/ˈsʌs.pekt/us/ˈsʌs.pekt/possibly false or dangerous:
The study was carried out with such a small sample that its results are suspect.
A suspect parcel was found at the station.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Strange, suspicious and unnatural
- aberrant
- abnormal
- add
- bizarre
- curious
- funny ha-ha or funny peculiar? idiom
- kinky
- kooky
- like nothing (else) on earth idiom
- like nothing on earth idiom
- not add up idiom
- peculiarly
- random
- rum
- sicko
- singularity
- singularly
- weird
- whacky
- whimsical
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