Standard Lemma guide

suspend

verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /səsˈpɛnd/
  • rhymes with -ɛnd
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH0 S P EH1 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To halt something temporarily.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The meeting was suspended for lunch.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To hold in an undetermined or undecided state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to suspend a thread of execution in a computer program

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To hang freely; underhang.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to suspend a ball by a thread

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To bring a solid substance, usually in powder form, into suspension in a liquid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To make to depend.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To debar, or cause to withdraw temporarily, from any privilege, from the execution of an office, from the enjoyment of income, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • to suspend a student from college; to suspend a member of a club

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To support in a liquid, as an insoluble powder, by stirring, to facilitate chemical action.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To remove the value of an unused coupon from an air ticket, typically so as to allow continuation of the next sectors' travel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, lifestyle, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, tourism, transport, travel

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

cause to be held in suspension in a fluid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • suspend the particles

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

Narrower terms: resuspend

11

verb

Meaning 11

stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Suspend the aid to the war-torn country

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: freeze

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: interrupt, break

12

verb

Meaning 12

make inoperative or stop

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • suspend payments on the loan

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: set aside

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

13

verb

Meaning 13

hang freely

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The secret police suspended their victims from the ceiling and beat them

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hang, hang up

Narrower terms: dangle

14

verb

Meaning 14

bar temporarily; from school, office, etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: debar

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: expel, throw out, kick out

Narrower terms: send down, rusticate

15

verb

Meaning 15

render temporarily ineffective

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the prison sentence was suspended

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: postpone, prorogue, hold over, put over, table, shelve, set back, defer, remit, put off

History

Etymology

From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere.

Across languages

Translations

117 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: спирам временно (spiram vremenno) — to halt temporarily
  • Chinese Mandarin: 暫停 /暂停 (zàntíng) — to halt temporarily
  • Czech: pozastavit — to halt temporarily
  • Danish: suspendere — to halt temporarily
  • Dutch: schorsen — to halt temporarily
  • Finnish: pysäyttää — to halt temporarily
  • Finnish: keskeyttää — to halt temporarily
  • French: suspendre — to halt temporarily
  • German: suspendieren — to halt temporarily
  • German: unterbrechen — to halt temporarily
  • Greek: αναστέλλω (anastéllo) — to halt temporarily
  • Hebrew: השעה (hish'á) — to halt temporarily
  • Hungarian: felfüggeszt — to halt temporarily
  • Japanese: 保留する (horyū suru) — to halt temporarily
  • Korean: 보류하다 (boryuhada) — to halt temporarily
  • Korean: 유예하다 (yuyehada) — to halt temporarily
  • Korean: 중단하다 (jungdanhada) — to halt temporarily
  • Norwegian: suspendere — to halt temporarily
  • Polish: zawieszać — to halt temporarily
  • Polish: zawiesić — to halt temporarily
  • Portuguese: suspender — to halt temporarily
  • Romanian: suspenda — to halt temporarily
  • Romanian: amâna — to halt temporarily
  • Russian: приостана́вливать (priostanávlivatʹ) — to halt temporarily
  • Russian: приостанови́ть (priostanovítʹ) — to halt temporarily
  • Ukrainian: призупинити (pryzupynyty) — to halt temporarily
  • Ainu: アッテ (atte) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Arabic: عَلَّقَ (ʕallaqa) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Belarusian: падве́шваць (padvjéšvacʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Belarusian: падве́сіць (padvjésicʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Belarusian: ве́шаць (vjéšacʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Belarusian: паве́сіць (pavjésicʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Bulgarian: ока́чвам (okáčvam) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Bulgarian: окача́ (okačá) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吊 (diào) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 懸 /悬 (xuán) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 懸掛 /悬挂 (xuánguà) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Chinese Mandarin: 掛 /挂 (guà) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Dutch: ophangen — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Finnish: ripustaa — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Finnish: roikkua — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Finnish: riippua — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • French: suspendre — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • German: aufhängen — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Hindi: लटकाना (laṭkānā) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Ido: suspendar — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Italian: appendere — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Japanese: 吊るす (tsurusu) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Japanese: 下げる (sageru) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Japanese: ぶら下げる (burasageru) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Japanese: 掛ける (kakeru) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Korean: 매달다 (maedalda) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Korean: 걸다 (geolda) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Latin: suspendō — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Macedonian: закачува (zakačuva) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Macedonian: закачи (zakači) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: whakairi — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: whakateki — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: whakawerewere — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: whakawhata — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: whakatāiri — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: whakatārewa — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Māori: tākawe — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Norwegian: henge — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Old English: āhōn — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Persian: آویزان کردن (âvizân kardan) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Polish: zawieszać — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Polish: zawiesić — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Portuguese: suspender — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Romanian: suspenda — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Romanian: atârna — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Romanian: agăța — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Russian: подве́шивать (podvéšivatʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Russian: подве́сить (podvésitʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Russian: ве́шать (véšatʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Russian: пове́сить (povésitʹ) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Scottish Gaelic: croch — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Turkish: asmak — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Ottoman Turkish: آصمق (asmak) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Ukrainian: підві́шувати (pidvíšuvaty) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Ukrainian: підві́сити (pidvísyty) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Ukrainian: ві́шати (víšaty) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Ukrainian: пові́сити (povísyty) — to hang freely — see also hang, hang up
  • Dutch: suspenderen — to create a suspension
  • Finnish: liettää — to create a suspension
  • Finnish: suspendoida — to create a suspension
  • French: suspendre — to create a suspension
  • French: mettre en suspension — to create a suspension
  • German: suspendieren — to create a suspension
  • Bulgarian: прекратявам (prekratjavam) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Chinese Mandarin: 停止 (tíngzhǐ) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Chinese Mandarin: 中止 (zhōngzhǐ) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Danish: afbryde — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Dutch: afbreken — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Dutch: stopzetten — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Dutch: afgelasten — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Dutch: onderbreken — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Finnish: keskeyttää — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Finnish: lakkauttaa — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • French: suspendre — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • German: aufheben — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • German: aussetzen — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • German: aufschieben — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Ido: suspensar — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Italian: sospendere — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Japanese: 停止する (teishi suru) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Norwegian: avbryte — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Polish: zawieszać — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Polish: zawiesić — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Portuguese: suspender — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Romanian: suspenda — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Romanian: întrerupe (sense: întrerupe temporar) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Russian: прекраща́ть (prekraščátʹ) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Russian: прекрати́ть (prekratítʹ) — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Scottish Gaelic: cuir à dreuchd — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Spanish: suspender — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event
  • Turkish: askiya almak — to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event