suspect

I UK [səˈspekt] / US verb [transitive, not usually progressive]
Word forms "suspect":
present tense I/you/we/they suspect he/she/it suspects present participle suspecting past tense suspected past participle suspected
***

1) to believe that something is true, especially something bad

Teachers should call social services if they suspect child abuse.

suspect (that):

Police suspected that she had some connection with the robbery.

a) to believe that someone has done something, usually something bad

He wrote a letter naming the people whom he suspected.

suspect someone of something:

men suspected of involvement in the bombing

suspect someone of doing something:

I suspected Alex of deliberately forgetting her purse.

b) to believe that something is bad or worse than it appears

Carl seemed very kind, but she suspected his motives.

2) spoken used for stating an opinion to make it sound less direct

He'll be missed by some, but not, I suspect, by all his colleagues.

II UK [ˈsʌspekt] / US [ˈsʌˌspekt] noun [countable]
Word forms "suspect":
singular suspect plural suspects
**

1) someone who the police believe may have committed a crime

Jess had been killed, and her husband was the obvious suspect.

a murder/bombing suspect

2) someone or something that is likely to do or cause something, especially something bad

When plants are ruined, snails and slugs are the chief suspects.

•

- the usual suspects

III UK [ˈsʌspekt] / US [ˈsʌˌspekt] adjective

1) something or someone that is suspect cannot be trusted or believed

The government's statistics are suspect.

He might have suspect motives in accusing her of malpractice.

2) looking dangerous or illegal

Bomb squad officers were called in to deal with a suspect package.