suspicionnoun
uk/səˈspɪʃ.ən/us/səˈspɪʃ.ən/suspicion noun (FEELING)
B2 [ C ] a belief or idea that something may be true:
[ + that ] I have a suspicion that he only asked me out because my brother persuaded him to.
She had a nagging/sneaking suspicion that she might have sent the letter to the wrong address.
More examples
- I've got a sneaking suspicion that we're going the wrong way.
- We always had the suspicion that their marriage was not happy.
- I had a suspicion that he was up to something.
- They had been fooling me all along, and I had no suspicion.
- I had no suspicion that the firm might close.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Imagining and conceiving
- a reach of the imagination idiom
- assume
- blue-sky
- conceivable
- conceive
- conceptualize
- dream
- feel
- fertile
- fertility
- foundation
- grant
- look on/upon sb/sth as sth
- mind
- picture
- presumption
- put
- put yourself in sb's place/position/shoes idiom
- reckon
- riot
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suspicion noun (BELIEF IN SOMEONE'S GUILT)
C1 [ C or U ] a feeling or belief that someone has committed a crime or done something wrong:
"I'm arresting you on suspicion of illegally possessing drugs," said the police officer.
In these cases, the parents usually come under suspicion.
usually UK She is under suspicion of murder.
In this particular case, they are above/beyond suspicion (= cannot be thought to be guilty).
His strange behaviour aroused/raised his neighbours' suspicions.
More examples
- He was burned up with jealousy and suspicion.
- The enquiry cleared him of any taint of suspicion.
- We view these latest developments with suspicion.
- There are those who harbour suspicions about his motives.
- Our suspicions were first aroused when we heard a muffled scream.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Guesses and assumptions
- a shot in the dark idiom
- approximation
- assumption
- ballpark
- bet
- conjecture
- educated guess
- estimate
- guess
- guesstimate
- overestimate
- preception
- preconception
- presumption
- presupposition
- proposition
- shot
- sneaking
- supposition
- surmise
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suspicion noun (DOUBT)
[ C or U ] doubt or lack of trust:
Since they discovered the truth about his background, his colleagues have regarded him with suspicion.
They feel that she harbours (= has) suspicions of their politics.
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
- skeptic
- skeptical
- smell
- smell a rat idiom
- suspect
- suspiciously
- suss
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suspicion noun (SMALL AMOUNT)
[ S ] a small amount:
He gave just a suspicion of a smile.
I have a suspicion of doubt about whether I should accept his invitation or not.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Words meaning small pieces and amounts
- by a nose idiom
- chip
- clipping
- crumb
- dollop
- droplet
- flake
- germ
- jot
- nose
- pat
- patch
- pennyworth
- pinprick
- ray
- scattering
- scintilla
- shadow
- shard
- shred
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