What does suspect mean?
Suspect has several closely related uses. As a verb, it means to believe that someone may have committed a crime or done something wrong, or to doubt the truth or reliability of something: "I suspect the package was delayed." As a noun, a suspect is a person who is thought to be involved in wrongdoing. As an adjective, it describes someone or something considered likely to be guilty, dishonest, or dangerous; it can also mean questionable, unusual, or unreliable. The word often conveys suspicion rather than proven guilt, making it common in journalism, legal contexts, investigations, and ordinary conversation. A "prime suspect" is a person whom investigators consider especially likely to be responsible, while "suspect someone of" introduces the alleged wrongdoing. Although suspect and suspicious overlap, suspect more directly refers to a person or thing thought to be responsible, whereas suspicious more often describes a broader feeling or quality of doubt.
To believe or think that someone may have committed a crime or wrongdoing, or that something may be false or unreliable.
"Police suspect that the fire was started deliberately."
The phrase "suspect someone of something" is followed by the alleged wrongdoing; "suspect that" introduces a clause.
Believed or thought to be guilty, dishonest, dangerous, or otherwise unreliable.
"Detectives searched the suspect vehicle."
This use generally implies suspicion rather than a finding of guilt, though it can also mean questionable or unreliable in broader contexts.
A person thought to be involved in a crime or wrongdoing.
"The main suspect was released after questioning."
In legal and news contexts, suspect describes a person under investigation or believed to have committed an offense; it does not mean convicted.
Used for more than one person thought to be involved in wrongdoing.
"Two suspects were taken for questioning."
A suspect is not the same as a conviction: suspicion starts an investigation, while proof decides the case.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does suspect come from?
The English word comes from Latin suspectus, the past participle of suspicere, formed from sus- and specere, meaning "to look at." In Latin, the word developed the sense of looking at someone with suspicion or distrust. It entered English in the 16th century in the sense of suspicious or distrusted, and the verb meaning to imagine or believe someone to be guilty or dishonest developed from that earlier usage. Related English words such as inspect, inspection, spectator, and perspective share the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How suspect is actually used
When used before a noun, as in "a suspect vehicle," suspect means suspected of wrongdoing rather than personally guilty. In the phrase "suspect of," suspect functions as a verb and is followed by the suspected wrongdoing: "suspect of fraud." In everyday use, the adjective can mean merely doubtful or unusual, as in "a suspect smell."
Easily confused with suspect
A suspect is a person believed to have committed wrongdoing, whereas suspicious describes someone or something that arouses doubt or unease and does not necessarily imply guilt.