Dictionary

suspend en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /səsˈpɛnd/

Etymology

From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere.

Meanings

1. To halt something temporarily.
   • Pack ice, at times mounting to a height of 35 ft., snow, fog, and floating mines all played their part in the disorganisation of railway services, and most of the train ferry services were completely suspended for a month or more; [...]. 1940 May, “Overseas Railways: Icebound Denmark”, in Railway Magazine, page 302:
   • “Essentially everything Miller says about suspending habeas corpus – which would eliminate the ability of the courts to rule on immigration matters – is wrong,” CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig said. […] The Constitution only allows habeas corpus to be suspended when “in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” 2025 May 9, Kaitlan Collins, Samantha Waldenberg and Tierney Sneed, “Trump involved in discussions over suspending habeas corpus, sources say”, in CNN:
   • The guard nor fights nor flies; their fate so near / At once suspends their courage and their fear. 1636 (date written), John Denham, “The Destruction of Troy, an Essay upon the Second Book of Virgils Æneis”, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy, London: […] [John Macock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1668, →OCLC:
   • Services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High are currently suspended, following a 30-metre breach of the Union Canal that occurred on August 12 after torrential rain and thunderstorms. The thousands of gallons of water that cascaded onto the railway line below washed away track, ballast and overhead line equipment, and undermined embankments along a 300-metre section of Scotland's busiest rail link. 2020 August 26, “Network News: Major flood damage severs key Edinburgh-Glasgow rail artery”, in Rail, page 21:
   • The meeting was suspended for lunch.
   • Suspend your indignation against my brother. c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
2. To hold in an undetermined or undecided state.
   • suspending out judgement 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
3. To discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event.
   • to suspend a thread of execution in a computer program
4. To hang freely; underhang.
   • The underframe also carries four bonded-rubber mountings, focused upwards and inwards towards the centre of gravity to suspend the body shell. 1958 April 14, “Diesel Railbus for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 275:
   • to suspend a ball by a thread
5. To bring a solid substance, usually in powder form, into suspension in a liquid.
6. (obsolete) To make to depend.
   • God hath all along in the Scripture suspended the promise of eternal life on the condition of obedience and holiness of life. 1671, John Tillotson, “Sermon IV. The Advantages of Religion to Particular Persons. Psalm XIX. 11.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLC:
7. To debar, or cause to withdraw temporarily, from any privilege, from the execution of an office, from the enjoyment of income, etc.
   • Whether good men should be suspended from the exercise of their ministry , and deprived of their livelyhood for ceremonies which are on all hands acknowledged indifferent. 1633, Robert Sanderson, Reason and Judgement:
   • to suspend a student from college; to suspend a member of a club
8. To support in a liquid, as an insoluble powder, by stirring, to facilitate chemical action.
9. To remove the value of an unused coupon from an air ticket, typically so as to allow continuation of the next sectors' travel.

Forms

Antonyms

resume (antonym(s) of “to halt something temporarily, to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event”)

Deriveds

suspendable · suspendee · unsuspend · suspend one's disbelief · resuspend

Relateds

suspension · suspenders

Translations (117)

ja 吊るす (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · bg спирам временно (to halt temporarily) · cmn 暫停 /暂停 (to halt temporarily) · ru приостана́вливать (to halt temporarily) · de unterbrechen (to halt temporarily) · nl afbreken (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · no avbryte (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · cmn 懸掛 /悬挂 (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ang āhōn (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · cmn 掛 /挂 (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · pl zawieszać (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · io suspensar (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · ru прекрати́ть (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · be падве́сіць (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · io suspendar (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · be падве́шваць (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · uk підві́шувати (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · la suspendō (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · pl zawieszać (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · de aufschieben (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · ro suspenda (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ko 매달다 (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ja 保留する (to halt temporarily) · ro întrerupe (sense: întrerupe temporar) (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · el αναστέλλω (to halt temporarily) · ain アッテ (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ja 停止する (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · ro suspenda (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · it appendere (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ru приостанови́ть (to halt temporarily) · ru подве́сить (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · pt suspender (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · mi whakawhata (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fi roikkua (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ja 掛ける (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · tr askiya almak (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · ro agăța (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fi lakkauttaa (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · cmn 中止 (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · da suspendere (to halt temporarily) · gd croch (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fi pysäyttää (to halt temporarily) · mi whakatāiri (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · uk ві́шати (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · hu felfüggeszt (to halt temporarily) · bg прекратявам (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · pl zawiesić (to halt temporarily) · mi whakawerewere (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · cs pozastavit (to halt temporarily) · ro suspenda (to halt temporarily) · ru прекраща́ть (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · no suspendere (to halt temporarily) · hi लटकाना (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fr suspendre (to halt temporarily) · ko 중단하다 (to halt temporarily) · fr suspendre (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · pt suspender (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · cmn 懸 /悬 (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · it sospendere (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · be ве́шаць (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ru ве́шать (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · mk закачи (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · nl suspenderen (to create a suspension) · nl stopzetten (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · ro atârna (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fi riippua (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · mi whakatārewa (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · be паве́сіць (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fi ripustaa (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ar عَلَّقَ (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · uk підві́сити (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · cmn 停止 (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · no henge (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · pl zawiesić (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · de suspendieren (to halt temporarily) · nl ophangen (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · es suspender (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · fr suspendre (to create a suspension) · fi liettää (to create a suspension) · mi whakateki (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · nl onderbreken (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · fr mettre en suspension (to create a suspension) · cmn 吊 (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ota آصمق (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · mi tākawe (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ru подве́шивать (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ko 유예하다 (to halt temporarily) · fi suspendoida (to create a suspension) · ja 下げる (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fa آویزان کردن (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · de aussetzen (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · fr suspendre (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · nl afgelasten (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · da afbryde (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · de aufheben (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · pl zawiesić (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · uk пові́сити (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · nl schorsen (to halt temporarily) · de aufhängen (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · bg окача́ (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · fi keskeyttää (to halt temporarily) · he השעה (to halt temporarily) · tr asmak (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · bg ока́чвам (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · ru пове́сить (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · pt suspender (to halt temporarily) · fi keskeyttää (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · ja ぶら下げる (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · pl zawieszać (to halt temporarily) · ro amâna (to halt temporarily) · ko 걸다 (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · gd cuir à dreuchd (to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event) · uk призупинити (to halt temporarily) · ko 보류하다 (to halt temporarily) · de suspendieren (to create a suspension) · mi whakairi (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up) · mk закачува (to hang freely — see also hang, hang up)