suspend

suspend — verb

1. to officially stop an activity, rule, or process from continuing for a period of

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to officially stop an activity, rule, or process from continuing for a period of time, or to delay a decision or judgment until a later date when more information is available.

Example

The company decided to suspend production at the factory while investigators looked into the accident.

suspend + noun phrase (production)

The judge suspended Christopher's driving license for twelve months after his third speeding offence.

suspend + noun phrase + for + time period

Common collocations
  • suspend operations
  • suspend production
  • suspend a license
  • suspend a rule
  • suspend a sentence
  • suspend aid
  • suspend payments
  • suspend flights
Synonyms
  • postpone

    means to delay something to a later time, usually with a new date set; 'postpone' is less formal than 'suspend'

  • adjourn

    used specifically for meetings or court proceedings; implies the activity will resume later

  • halt

    means to completely stop rather than temporarily suspend; stronger and more urgent

  • defer

    means to delay a decision or judgment; more limited in scope than 'suspend'

Antonyms
  • resume

    to start something again after stopping

  • continue

    to keep doing something without stopping

Grammar Patterns

suspend + noun phrase

be suspended

suspend + noun phrase + for + time

Usage Note

Common in legal, administrative, and institutional contexts. The object is typically a rule, activity, service, license, or official process — not casual personal actions. This sense often appears in passive voice when the focus is on the thing being stopped rather than who stops it.

Common Mistakes

I suspended my reading for an hour.
I put aside my reading for an hour.
'Suspend' sounds too formal and official for everyday personal activities. Reserve it for institutional or legal contexts.

2. to officially order that a person must not work, attend school, or join a group

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to officially order that a person must not work, attend school, or join a group activity for a set period of time, often because they have broken a rule or while an investigation is carried out.

Example

The school suspended Ife for two weeks after she was caught vandalizing the gymnasium.

suspend + person + for + time period

The police officer was suspended from duty while the internal investigation continued.

passive: be suspended from + role

Common collocations
  • suspend from school
  • suspend from work
  • suspend from duty
  • suspend from the team
  • suspend from office
  • suspended pending investigation
Synonyms
  • expel

    means to permanently remove someone from a school or organization; stronger and permanent rather than temporary

  • exclude

    means to keep someone out; less formal and can apply to both temporary and permanent situations

  • ban

    means to officially forbid someone from doing something; often used for events or places

Antonyms
  • reinstate

    to give someone back their job or position after a suspension

Grammar Patterns

suspend + person + from + noun phrase

be suspended + from + noun phrase

suspend + person + for + reason

Usage Note

Almost always involves an authority figure (school, employer, sports organization, professional body) imposing the suspension. The person being suspended has usually been found to have broken a rule. Frequently used in passive voice when the focus is on the person being punished rather than the punishing body.

Common Mistakes

The teacher suspended John from the classroom for talking.
The school suspended John for three days for bullying.
'Suspend' implies a formal, institutional punishment, not a minor classroom removal by a single teacher.
She was suspended of her duties.
She was suspended from her duties.
The correct preposition is 'from,' not 'of.'

3. to attach or hang something from a point above so that it dangles freely in the

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to attach or hang something from a point above so that it dangles freely in the air, without support from below.

Example

Mira suspended a paper lantern from the balcony ceiling to create a cozy atmosphere.

suspend + object + from + place

The workers suspended the heavy chandelier from a steel cable bolted to the roof beam.

Common collocations
  • suspend from the ceiling
  • suspend from a cable
  • suspend from a rope
  • suspend a lamp
  • suspend a chandelier
  • suspend a sign
  • suspend a bridge
Synonyms
  • hang

    the everyday word for attaching something so it drops down; less formal than 'suspend'

  • dangle

    means to hang loosely, often with a swinging motion; more vivid but less formal

  • hoist

    means to lift and pull something up using ropes or machinery; focuses on the raising action

Antonyms
  • lower

    to move something down from a higher position

Grammar Patterns

suspend + noun phrase + from + noun phrase

be suspended + from + noun phrase

be suspended + above/over + noun phrase

Usage Note

More formal than everyday 'hang.' Use 'suspend' when the focus is on the point of support above or the act of hanging something deliberately. For attaching a picture to a wall or hanging clothes, use 'hang' instead.

Common Mistakes

She suspended the painting on the wall.
She hung the painting on the wall.
'Suspend' means to hang from above, not to attach to a vertical surface.
He suspended his coat on the hook.
He hung his coat on the hook.
For everyday actions like hanging clothes, 'hang' is the natural choice; 'suspend' sounds too technical.

4. to cause tiny solid pieces to be spread evenly throughout a liquid or gas withou

4.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to cause tiny solid pieces to be spread evenly throughout a liquid or gas without sinking to the bottom, forming a mixture called a suspension.

Example

Fine dust particles were suspended in the air, catching the sunlight from the studio window.

passive: be suspended in + gas

Nora watched tiny clay particles become suspended in the clear water during chemistry class.

Common collocations
  • suspended in air
  • suspended in water
  • suspended in liquid
  • suspended particles
  • suspended solids
  • suspended sediment
  • become suspended
  • remain suspended
Synonyms
  • float

    means to stay on or near the surface of a liquid; less technical than 'suspend'

  • disperse

    means to spread particles throughout a substance; focuses on the distribution rather than the floating

  • diffuse

    means to spread out slowly through a substance; more about gradual mixing than suspension

Antonyms
  • settle

    to sink to the bottom of a liquid over time

  • precipitate

    to separate out from a solution as solid particles

Grammar Patterns

be suspended + in + noun phrase

become suspended + in + noun phrase

Usage Note

Technical or scientific sense. Used almost exclusively in passive voice or with 'become.' The subject is always small pieces of a solid or droplets of one liquid distributed within another substance. This sense is the root of the noun 'suspension' in chemistry (a mixture where particles are dispersed but not dissolved).

Common Mistakes

The boat was suspended in the water.
The boat floated on the water.
'Suspend' in this sense describes tiny particles, not large objects like boats.
The stone was suspended at the bottom of the river.
The fine sand was suspended in the river water.
Something that sinks to the bottom is not suspended; suspension means the particles stay distributed in the fluid.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words mean to stop or delay something, but they differ in context and duration. 'Suspend' is the most formal and implies an official stopping for an indefinite or unspecified period — a license can be suspended, a rule can be suspended. 'Postpone' means to delay something to a specific later date (e.g., 'postpone the meeting to Friday') and is less formal. 'Adjourn' is used almost exclusively for meetings, court proceedings, or formal gatherings where business stops with the intention to resume (e.g., 'the judge adjourned the court until Monday'). 'Halt' is stronger and more urgent, meaning a complete stop, often suddenly (e.g., 'halt production immediately'). 'Defer' is the narrowest — it means to delay a decision or judgment until later (e.g., 'defer a decision on the proposal'). In everyday conversation, 'put off' or 'delay' are more natural than any of these.

suspend ↗postpone ↗adjournhalt ↗defer

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'suspendere', formed by combining 'sub-' (meaning 'up from under') and 'pendere' (meaning 'to hang'). The original sense in English was 'to hang from above' (sense 3), dating from the 15th century. By the 16th century, the word had developed the figurative meaning 'to temporarily stop or delay,' reflecting the image of something being 'hung up' or left in mid-air. The scientific sense describing particles floating in fluid (sense 4) emerged in the 17th-18th centuries alongside the development of chemistry.