SUSPEND Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'suspend' distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of suspend are defer , postpone , and stay . While all these words mean "to delay an action or proceeding," suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied. // business will be suspended while repairs are underway

Q: When would 'defer' be a good substitute for 'suspend'?

While the synonyms defer and suspend are close in meaning, defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time. // deferred buying a car until spring

Q: When can 'postpone' be used instead of 'suspend'?

Although the words postpone and suspend have much in common, postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time. // the game is postponed until Saturday

Q: When might 'stay' be a better fit than 'suspend'?

The synonyms stay and suspend are sometimes interchangeable, but stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority. // the governor stayed the execution

suspend

verb

sə-ˈspend

Definition of suspend next

as in to postpone

to bring to a formal close for a period of time the judge suspended the hearing to give the district attorney more time to process evidence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to hang

to place on an elevated point without support from below suspended a banner proclaiming the town's "Heritage Days" from the archway

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word suspend distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of suspend are defer, postpone, and stay. While all these words mean "to delay an action or proceeding," suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

When would defer be a good substitute for suspend?

While the synonyms defer and suspend are close in meaning, defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

When can postpone be used instead of suspend?

Although the words postpone and suspend have much in common, postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

When might stay be a better fit than suspend?

The synonyms stay and suspend are sometimes interchangeable, but stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of suspend While Universal hasn't revealed exactly what type of ride Battle of the Ministry will be, an earlier rendering showed the box of seats suspended in the air and tilted an angle that implied its movement may be more similar to that of Escape from Gringotts at Universal Studios' Diagon Alley. —

Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 19 Nov. 2024 India's Supreme Court, which has been hearing cases on tackling the problem, directed all states in the Delhi region to immediately take a call on suspending offline classes for students up to grade 12, legal news website Livelaw reported. —

Tanvi Mehta, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024 Generation Income Properties does not anticipate cash dividend payments to common stockholders in the near future, having suspended its regular dividend in July 2024. —

Quartz Bot, Quartz, 14 Nov. 2024 While several free services to automatically delete all of an account’s posts exist, ones reviewed by NBC News either don’t guarantee against adverse effects like potentially suspending the account or require some technical work. —

Kevin Collier, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for suspend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for suspend

Verb

Thanks to to novel coronavirus global pandemic, Hugh Jackman’s The Music Man is postponed to spring 2021.

Bethy Squires, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2024
Gallant was scheduled to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Washington in early October — a trip Gallant initiated — but it was postponed at Netanyahu’s request.

Max Burman, NBC News, 6 Nov. 2024