suspect

English

Etymology

Latin suspectus, perfect passive participle of suspiciō (“mistrust, suspect”), from sus-, combining form of sub (“under”), + speciō (“watch, look at”).

Pronunciation

Adjective, noun

• enPR: sŭs'pĕkt, IPA: /ˈsʌs.pɛkt/, X-SAMPA: /"sVs.pEkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Verb

• enPR: səs.pĕkt', IPA: /səsˈpɛkt/, X-SAMPA: /s@s"pEkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛkt

Verb

suspect (third-person singular simple present suspects, present participle suspecting, simple past and past participle suspected)

1. (transitive)  To imagine or suppose (something) to be true without evidence.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 5, The China Governess^[1]:

     Mr. Campion appeared suitably impressed and she warmed to him. He was very easy to talk to with those long clown lines in his pale face, a natural goon, born rather too early she suspected.

   • 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18: 

     WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.

2. (transitive)  To distrust or have doubts about (something or someone).

   I suspect his theory.

3. (transitive)  To believe (someone) to be guilty.

   If you asked me who the thief is, I would suspect him.

4. (intransitive)  To have suspicion.

Synonyms

• (imagine or suppose to be true): imagine, suppose, think
• (distrust, have doubts about): distrust, doubt
• (believe to be guilty): accuse, point the finger at

Translations

imagine or suppose to be true, regardless if there is evidence

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 相信 (cmn) (xiāngxìn)

• Finnish: epäillä (fi)
• German: vermuten (de)
• Macedonian: се сомнева (mk) (se sómneva), претпоставува (mk) (pretpostávuva)

• Portuguese: suspeitar (pt)
• Russian: подозревать (ru) (podozrevát’) impf., заподозрить (ru) (zapodózrit’) pf., полагать (ru) (polagát’) impf.
• Swahili: mshukiwa (sw)

distrust, have doubts about

• Catalan: sospitar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懷疑 (cmn), 怀疑 (cmn) (huáiyí), 嫌疑 (cmn) (xiányí)

• Dutch: wantrouwen (nl), twijfelen (nl) aan, betwijfelen (nl)
• Finnish: epäillä (fi)
• German: misstrauen (de)
• Greek: υποπτεύομαι (el) (ypoptévomai)

• Macedonian: се сомнева (mk) (se sómneva)
• Portuguese: suspeitar (pt)
• Russian: подозревать (ru) (podozrevát’) impf., заподозрить (ru) (zapodózrit’) pf.
• Swahili: mshukiwa (sw)

believe to be guilty

• Arabic: ...اشتبه ب (ištábaha bi...)
• Catalan: sospitar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懷疑 (cmn), 怀疑 (cmn) (huáiyí), 嫌疑 (cmn) (xiányí)

• Czech: podezřívat (cs), podezírat (cs)
• Danish: suspekt (da)
• Dutch: verdenken (nl)
• Finnish: epäillä (fi)
• French: soupçonner (fr)
• German: verdächtigen (de)
• Greek: υποπτεύομαι (el) (ypoptévomai)
• Hungarian: gyanúsít (hu)
• Italian: sospettare (it)

• Japanese: 疑う (うたがう, utagau)
• Korean: 의심하다 (euisimhada)
• Macedonian: се сомнева (mk) (se sómneva)
• Polish: podejrzewać (pl)
• Portuguese: suspeitar (pt)
• Russian: подозревать (ru) (podozrevát’) impf., заподозрить (ru) (zapodózrit’) pf.
• Slovene: sumiti
• Spanish: sospechar (es)
• Swahili: mshukiwa (sw)
• Swedish: misstänka (sv)
• Telugu: అనుమానించు (anumaaniMchu)

have suspicion

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 懷疑 (cmn), 怀疑 (cmn) (huáiyí), 嫌疑 (cmn) (xiányí)

• Dutch: iets verdacht (nl) vinden
• Finnish: epäillä (fi)
• German: einen Verdacht haben (de)
• Greek: υποπτεύομαι (el) (ypoptévomai)

• Hungarian: gyanakszik (hu), gyanakodik (hu)
• Macedonian: се сомнева (mk) (se sómneva)
• Portuguese: suspeitar (pt)
• Russian: подозревать (ru) (podozrevát’) impf., заподозрить (ru) (zapodózrit’) pf.
• Swahili: mshukiwa (sw)

Noun

Wikipedia suspect (plural suspects)

1. A person who is suspected of something, in particular of committing a crime.

   Round up the usual suspects. — Casablanca

Translations

person suspected of something

• Afrikaans: verdagte (af)
• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Armenian: կասկածյալ (hy) (kaskacyal)
• Chechen: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嫌疑犯 (cmn) (xiányífàn), 嫌疑人 (cmn) (xiányírén)

• Czech: podezřelý (cs) m
• Dutch: verdachte (nl) m and f
• Finnish: epäilty (fi)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Verdächtiger (de) m, Verdächtige (de) f

• Greek: ύποπτος (el) (ýpoptos) m, ύποπτη (el) (ýpopti) f
• Macedonian: осомничен (mk) (osómničen) m, осомничена (mk) (osomníčena) f
• Polish: podejrzany (pl) m, podejrzana (pl) f
• Portuguese: suspeito (pt) m, suspeita (pt) f
• Russian: подозреваемый (ru) (podozrevájemyj), подозреваемая (ru) (podozrevájemaja) f
• Swahili: mshukiwa (sw)
• Telugu: అనుమానితుడు (anumaanituDu) m, అనుమానితురాలు (anumaanituraalu) f
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

Adjective

suspect (comparative more suspect, superlative most suspect)

1. Viewed with suspicion; suspected.
   • Milton

     What I can do or offer is suspect.

   • 2013 January 1, Katie L. Burke, “Ecological Dependency”, American Scientist, volume 101, number 1, page 64: 

     In his first book since the 2008 essay collection Natural Acts: A Sidelong View of Science and Nature, David Quammen looks at the natural world from yet another angle: the search for the next human pandemic, what epidemiologists call “the next big one.” His quest leads him around the world to study a variety of suspect zoonoses—animal-hosted pathogens that infect humans.

Synonyms

• (viewed with suspicion): dodgy (informal), doubtful, dubious, fishy (informal), suspicious

Translations

viewed with suspicion

• Catalan: sospitós (ca)
• Czech: podezřelý (cs) m
• Finnish: epäilyttävä (of things and actions), epäilyksenalainen (of a person)
• German: verdächtig (de)
• Greek: ύποπτος (el) (ýpoptos)

• Macedonian: сомнителен (mk) (somnítelen) m, сомнителна (mk) (somnítelna) f
• Polish: podejrzany (pl) m
• Portuguese: suspeito (pt) m, suspeita (pt) f
• Swahili: mshukiwa (sw)

Related terms

• suspicion
• suspicious

Anagrams

• cupsets

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French

Etymology

Latin suspectus

Adjective

suspect m (feminine suspecte, masculine plural suspects, feminine plural suspectes)

1. suspicious; suspect

Noun

suspect m (plural suspects; feminine suspecte, plural suspectes)

1. a suspect