suspect
B2All registers. Formal in legal contexts; neutral to informal in general use.
Definition
Meaning
To believe someone may be guilty of a crime or wrongdoing; to think something is likely or true without certain proof.
To doubt the truth or value of something; not to be trusted or appearing to be dangerous or false.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The meaning differs significantly by part of speech. The verb relates to an active belief about guilt or likelihood. The adjective describes something/someone viewed with distrust or doubt.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Very minor. In noun usage, both use it for a person suspected of a crime. The verb patterns are identical.
Connotations
Identical core connotations of doubt and potential guilt.
Frequency
Equally frequent and used in the same contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
suspect (that) + clausesuspect somebody of (doing) somethingsuspect somethingVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “prime suspect”
- “usual suspects”
- “above suspicion”
- “under a cloud (of suspicion)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
To suspect fraud, embezzlement, or a security breach.
Academic
To suspect a correlation or a flaw in a hypothesis.
Everyday
To suspect someone is lying or that it might rain.
Technical
In medicine, to suspect a diagnosis; in IT, to suspect a virus or hack.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I suspect he hasn't told us the full story.
- The police suspect her of involvement in the robbery.
- They strongly suspect the figures have been tampered with.
American English
- I suspect he didn't tell us everything.
- Police suspect him of being involved in the theft.
- Doctors suspect a viral infection.
adverb
British English
- The deal was arranged suspectly quickly. (Rare, often replaced by 'suspiciously')
American English
- He acted suspectly, always looking over his shoulder. (Rare, informal)
adjective
British English
- His motives for helping are somewhat suspect.
- The package was left in a suspect vehicle.
- The evidence seemed highly suspect.
American English
- His story sounds pretty suspect to me.
- They identified a suspect package outside the building.
- I find his argument suspect.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I suspect it will rain later.
- The police have a suspect.
- I suspect he is not telling the truth.
- The main suspect was arrested yesterday.
- The broken lock looked suspect.
- Authorities suspect the fire was started deliberately.
- She is the prime suspect in the investigation due to her motive.
- His excuse for being late was highly suspect.
- We have reason to suspect that insider trading has occurred.
- The suspect methodology of the study undermines its conclusions.
- He was wrongly suspected of espionage and cleared years later.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a police officer looking at a SUSPECTed person and saying, "I SUSPECT you PECted (pected sounds like 'pecked' as in chicken) at the crime scene!"
Conceptual Metaphor
SUSPICION IS A CLOUD (e.g., 'under a cloud of suspicion'), TRUTH IS LIGHT (e.g., 'shed light on a suspect story').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'suspect' as a direct translation for 'подозреваемый' in all contexts where 'предполагаемый' or 'сомнительный' is more accurate for an adjective (e.g., 'suspect data' = сомнительные данные, not подозреваемые данные).
- The verb 'подозревать' maps directly to 'to suspect sb of sth'.
- Do not confuse with 'expect' (ожидать).
Common Mistakes
- Using the noun/adjective pronunciation for the verb (e.g., saying 'SUS-pect' for 'I susPECT').
- Incorrect preposition: 'I suspect him *for* stealing' (correct: 'of stealing').
- Using 'suspect' as a pure synonym for 'think' in positive contexts, which introduces unintended doubt.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'suspect' used as an ADJECTIVE?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
To 'suspect' is to think something is likely or true (often negative). To 'doubt' is to think something is unlikely or untrue. 'I suspect he's guilty' means I think he is. 'I doubt he's guilty' means I think he is not.
Rarely. Its core meaning involves doubt or potential wrongdoing. While you can say 'I suspect you're a good person,' it still implies uncertainty rather than positive conviction.
It follows a common English stress pattern: verbs often have stress on the second syllable (susPECT), while related nouns/adjectives have stress on the first (SUSpect). Compare: proTEST (v) / PROtest (n); reCORD (v) / RECord (n).
Yes, they are very close synonyms. 'Suspect' as an adjective is often interchangeable with 'suspicious' (e.g., a suspect package / a suspicious package), though 'suspicious' can also describe a person's feeling ('She was suspicious of him').
Collections
Part of a collection
Crime and Justice
B1 · 46 words · Vocabulary for law, crime and the justice system.