sus|pe nd|er belt (suspender belts ) N‑COUNT A suspender belt is a piece of underwear for women that is used for holding up stockings. [BRIT ] in AM, use garter belt
sus|pense /səspe ns/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Suspense is a state of excitement or anxiety about something that is going to happen very soon, for example about some news that you are waiting to hear. □ The England manager will end the suspense at a team meeting tomorrow.
2 PHRASE If you keep or leave someone in suspense , you deliberately delay telling them something that they are very eager to know about. □ Keppler kept all his men in suspense until that morning.
sus|pense|ful /səspe nsfʊl/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A suspenseful story makes you feel excited or anxious about what is going to happen in the story next. □ …a suspenseful and sinister tale.
sus|pen|sion /səspe nʃ ə n/ (suspensions )
1 N‑UNCOUNT The suspension of something is the act of delaying or stopping it for a while or until a decision is made about it. □ [+ of ] A strike by British Airways ground staff has led to the suspension of flights between London and Manchester.
2 N‑VAR Someone's suspension is their removal from a job or position for a period of time or until a decision is made about them. □ The minister warned that any civil servant not at his desk faced immediate suspension.
3 N‑VAR A vehicle's suspension consists of the springs and other devices attached to the wheels, which give a smooth ride over uneven ground.
sus|pe n|sion bridge (suspension bridges ) N‑COUNT A suspension bridge is a type of bridge that is supported from above by cables.
sus|pi|cion ◆◇◇ /səsp I ʃ ə n/ (suspicions )
1 N‑VAR [oft N that, under N ] Suspicion or a suspicion is a belief or feeling that someone has committed a crime or done something wrong. □ There was a suspicion that this runner attempted to avoid the procedures for dope testing. □ The police said their suspicions were aroused because Mr Owens had other marks on his body. □ Scotland Yard had assured him he was not under suspicion. [Also + of ]
2 N‑VAR If there is suspicion of someone or something, people do not trust them or consider them to be reliable. □ [+ of ] …the traditional British suspicion of psychotherapy. □ [+ of ] He may have had some suspicions of Michael Foster, the editor of the journal.
3 N‑COUNT [oft N that] A suspicion is a feeling that something is probably true or is likely to happen. □ I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going to succeed.
4 N‑SING A suspicion of something is a very small amount of it. [WRITTEN ] □ [+ of ] …large blooms of white with a suspicion of pale pink.
sus|pi|cious /səsp I ʃəs/
1 ADJ If you are suspicious of someone or something, you do not trust them, and are careful when dealing with them. □ [+ of ] He was rightly suspicious of meeting me until I reassured him I was not writing about him. □ He has his father's suspicious nature. ● sus|pi|cious|ly ADJ [ADV after v] □ 'What is it you want me to do?' Adams asked suspiciously.
2 ADJ If you are suspicious of someone or something, you believe that they are probably involved in a crime or some dishonest activity. □ [+ of ] Two officers on patrol became suspicious of two men in a car. □ A woman kept prisoner in a basement was rescued after suspicious neighbours tipped off police.
3 ADJ If you describe someone or something as suspicious , you mean that there is some aspect of them which makes you think that they are involved in a crime or a dishonest activity. □ He reported that two suspicious-looking characters had approached Callendar. ● sus|pi|cious|ly ADV [ADV with v, ADV adj/adv] □ They'll ask whether anyone was seen acting suspiciously in the area. □ Police were told to arrest voters found with suspiciously large sums of money in their pockets.
4 → see also suspiciously
sus|pi|cious|ly /səsp I ʃəsli/
1 ADV If you say that one thing looks or sounds suspiciously like another thing, you mean that it probably is that thing, or something very similar to it, although it may be intended to seem different. □ The tan-coloured dog looks suspiciously like an American pit bull terrier.
2 ADV [ADV adj/adv] You can use suspiciously when you are describing something that you think is slightly strange or not as it should be. □ He lives alone in a suspiciously tidy flat in Notting Hill Gate.
3 → see also suspicious
suss /sʌ s/ (susses , sussing , sussed ) VERB If you suss a person or situation, you realize or work out what their real character or nature is. [BRIT , INFORMAL ] □ [V n] I think I've sussed the reason for it. □ [V that] The women began to suss that there was no reason why they should be impressed by him. □ [get n V -ed] We're getting the problem sussed. [Also V wh] ● PHRASAL VERB Suss out means the same as suss . □ [V P n] They're sussing out the area to see how strong the police presence is. □ [V n P ] He susses his colleagues out and he knows who he can trust. □ [V P wh] I'd had the training to suss out what he was up to. [Also V that]
sussed /sʌ st/ ADJ If someone is sussed , they are clever and know a lot about something such as clothes, pop music, or politics. [BRIT , INFORMAL ]
sus|tain ◆◇◇ /səste I n/ (sustains , sustaining , sustained )
1 VERB If you sustain something, you continue it or maintain it for a period of time. □ [V n] But he has sustained his fierce social conscience from young adulthood through old age. □ [V -ed] …a period of sustained economic growth throughout 1995.