suggest */*/*/

UK [səˈdʒest] / US [səɡˈdʒest] verb [transitive]
Word forms "suggest":
present tense I/you/we/they suggest he/she/it suggests present participle suggesting past tense suggested past participle suggested

Get it right: suggest:

When suggest means "to offer an idea or a plan for someone to consider", it is never followed by an infinitive. Use the pattern suggest doing something:
Wrong: The government suggested to construct another railway link to the mainland.
Right: The government suggested constructing another railway link to the mainland. When suggest and the verb that follows it have different subjects, you can use the pattern suggest that someone should do something: The therapist also suggested that Pamela should tell her parents more about what she was doing.
Suggest is never followed by a direct personal object. Use the preposition to:
Wrong: If this happened to one of your friends, what would you suggest her?
Right: If this happened to one of your friends, what would you suggest to her?
Wrong: He suggests parents that they should adopt a different way of bringing up their children.
Right: He suggests to parents that they should adopt a different way of bringing up their children.
Ways of suggesting something:
How about...?/What about…? → an informal way of suggesting something What if I...? → an informal way of suggesting something that you can do to help someone Let's... → an informal way of suggesting to the people you are with something that you could all do together Why don't I/you/we/they...? → a way of suggesting something when you are introducing a new idea that other people have not thought of What would you say to...?/What do you say I/we...? → a way of asking whether someone would accept a suggestion Perhaps we/you/they could... → a way of suggesting something, especially when you are not completely sure if it is a good idea We/You could always... → a way of suggesting something when most other possibilities have already been considered May/Can I suggest...? → a polite and formal way of suggesting something May/Can/Could I make a suggestion? → a way of suggesting something, often used when interrupting people who are already discussing what to do I suggest... → a way of suggesting something in a slightly annoyed way, especially when you think someone has been silly or has done something wrong
Examples:
How about/What about going out to dinner tonight? What if I babysat for you tonight? Then you could both go to the party. I know, let's go swimming! Why don't you try phoning their office number instead? What would you say to a weekend by the seaside? ♦ What do you say we have dinner at that restaurant by the beach? Perhaps we could ask Jerry's father if he has a tent he could lend us? I suppose we could always go to the cinema instead. May I suggest that we postpone discussing this until the next meeting? Could I make a suggestion? Why don't we put all the guests on the first floor and then everyone will be happy? In future, I suggest you ask your father's permission before you borrow his car.

1) to offer an idea or a plan for someone to consider

The report suggested various ways in which the service could be improved.

suggest (that):

I suggest we have dinner first, and then watch the film.

suggest what/why/where etc:

Can anyone suggest what we should do to increase sales?

suggest doing something:

If there is a mechanical problem, we suggest contacting the manufacturer directly.

•

Collocations:
Adverbs frequently used with suggest
▪  politely, respectfully, seriously, strongly, tactfully, tentatively

2) to tell someone about something that may be useful or suitable for a particular purpose

Can you suggest an inexpensive restaurant?

The doctor suggested rest as an alternative to surgery.

3)

a) to say that something is likely to exist or to be true

The cause of the problem, as Hutton suggests, is the leadership's refusal to accept any form of criticism.

suggest (that):

Are you seriously suggesting she did this on purpose?

suggest (that):

I'm not suggesting that giving up smoking will be easy.

b) to make you think that something is likely to exist or to be true

As its name suggests, the Carlton Beach Hotel is situated near the sea.

Evidence suggests a link between asthma and pollution.

suggest (that):

Recent research suggests that the drug may be beneficial to people with muscular disorders.

4) formal to remind you of something

The architecture suggested a chapel.