suspend
verb/səsˈpɛnd/
Etymology From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere.
9 senses
- 1To halt something temporarily.
- 2To hold in an undetermined or undecided state.
- 3To discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event.
- 4To hang freely; underhang.
- 5To bring a solid substance, usually in powder form, into…
- 6To make to depend.
- 7To debar, or cause to withdraw temporarily, from any…
- 8To support in a liquid, as an insoluble powder, by…
- 9To remove the value of an unused coupon from an air…
1
To halt something temporarily.
- 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]:
4 more examples
- 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:
- 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:
- 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:
- “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:
2
To hold in an undetermined or undecided state.
- suspending out judgement1689 (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.
- to suspend a ball by a thread
- The underframe also carries four bonded-rubber mountings, focused upwards and inwards towards the centre of gravity to suspend the body shell.1958 April 23, “Diesel Railbus for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 275:
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.
- to suspend a student from college; to suspend a member of a club
- 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:
8
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences To support in a liquid, as an insoluble powder, by stirring, to facilitate chemical action.
9
Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Lifestyle, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Tourism, Transport, Travel To remove the value of an unused coupon from an air ticket, typically so as to allow continuation of the next sectors' travel.
- Antonyms
- resume
- Derived terms
- resuspend, suspendable, suspendee, suspend one's disbelief, unsuspend
- Related terms
- suspension, suspenders