suspect
suspect Lexical Profile
suspect Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of something without certain proof.
"Researchers strongly suspect that environmental factors play a major role in the decline of the species."
To believe tentatively that someone is guilty of an illegal, dishonest, or unpleasant act.
"Auditors began to suspect the manager of falsifying the inventory records."
To doubt the genuineness, truth, or reliability of something.
"Historians have long had reason to suspect the authenticity of the unsigned manuscript."
• noun
A person thought to be guilty of a crime or offense without definitive proof.
"The police questioned the primary suspect for several hours regarding his whereabouts on Friday evening."
• adjective
Not to be relied upon or trusted; possibly false, dangerous, or defective.
"Several of the financial figures in the quarterly report appeared suspect upon closer audit."
Word Nuance & Usage
The pronunciation of 'suspect' shifts depending on its part of speech: as a noun or adjective, the stress falls on the first syllable (SUS-pekt), whereas as a verb, the stress falls on the second syllable (suh-SPEKT). Do not confuse 'suspect' (to believe someone is guilty or something is true) with 'mistrust' (to lack confidence in someone generally).
• Rhymes for suspect
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French suspect and directly from Latin suspectus, the past participle of suspicere, meaning 'to look up at' or 'to look at secretly and distrustfully' (from sub- 'under' + specere 'to look at').