suspect Hear it!

suspect definition

sus·pect (sə spekt′; for adj. usually, & for n. always, sus′pekt′)

transitive verb

  1. to believe (someone) to be guilty of something specified, on little or no evidence
  2. to believe to be bad, wrong, harmful, questionable, etc.; distrust
  3. to think it probable or likely; guess; surmise; suppose

Etymology: LME suspecten < L suspectus, pp. of suspicere, to look under, look up to, admire, also to mistrust < sus- (see sub-), under + spicere, to look (see spy)

intransitive verb

to be suspicious; have suspicion

adjective

viewed with suspicion; suspected

noun

a person who is suspected, esp. one suspected of a crime, etc.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.