suss out en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
Clipping of suspect + out. Compare sus.
Meanings
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(colloquial, transitive) To come to understand (a person).
In essence, security experts most familiar with this breach believe that a nation-state — likely China or Russia — stole the data in order to suss out current spies and pick out potential targets they could recruit as spies.
2019 March 19, Mike McKee, “The Case of the Missing Data”, in Dark Reading, archived from the original on 20 Aug 2022:We've sussed him out—he only drinks on Fridays and only in that bar in town.
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(colloquial, transitive) To manage to work (something) out, to discover or determine (something).
You sussed it out, didn't you?
1997, “Hunter”, in Homogenic, performed by Björk:We've sussed out how to open the lock.
As far as electric cars are concerned, motorists have sussed out that they do not make particularly good financial sense, even with a $7,500 handout from the federal government.
2012 April 20, “Electric cars: Difference Engine: Tailpipe truths”, in The Economist, archived from the original on 13 Dec 2024:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sussed out | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| sussed out | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| susses out | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| sussing out | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Translations (22)
es entrever (to come to understand (a person)) · fr piger (to work out, to determine (something)) · hu kiszimatol (to work out, to determine (something)) · it ravvisare (to work out, to determine (something)) · es calar (to come to understand (a person)) · ru разузна́ть (to work out, to determine (something)) · hu kiderít (to work out, to determine (something)) · it smascherare (to work out, to determine (something)) · es pispar (to come to understand (a person)) · it intravvedere (to work out, to determine (something)) · it intuire (to work out, to determine (something)) · fr capter (to work out, to determine (something)) · it scoprire (to work out, to determine (something)) · hu kipuhatol (to work out, to determine (something)) · it capire (to work out, to determine (something)) · ru раскуси́ть (to work out, to determine (something)) · de auskundschaften (to work out, to determine (something)) · es conocerle el bacalao (to come to understand (a person)) · de herausfinden (to work out, to determine (something)) · it stabilire (to work out, to determine (something)) · it sgamare (to work out, to determine (something)) · hu kiismer (to come to understand (a person))