suspect
gb/sˈʌspˌɛkt/ us/sˈʌspˌɛkt/
B1
Kiingereza
~ 2300
Maana
maana 0
Nomino
B1
entity
1
Person thought to be guilty
A person who the police think may have done a crime.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[someone] is a suspect in [a case/crime]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'suspect' (noun) with 'suspicious' (adjective). They might say 'He is suspicious for the crime' instead of 'He is a suspect in the crime.'
Visawe
accused (Often used formally in legal contexts for someone charged with a crime.)
Vinyume
witness (A person who saw the crime happen, not suspected of committing it.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
prime suspect
|murder suspect
|arrest a suspect
|question a suspect
Mada
law
|crime
|justice
Mifano
- The police have arrested a suspect in the robbery case.
- She was the prime suspect after the evidence was found.
- Detectives questioned the suspect for several hours.
- The suspect was seen leaving the building shortly after the incident.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The police caught the suspect.
- The suspect is in jail now.
- They think he is the suspect.
- The suspect did not talk to the police.
Kitenzi
B1
action
2
Think someone did something wrong
To think that someone may have done something bad or illegal.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[someone] suspect[s] [someone] of [doing something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes forget to use 'of' before the action: 'suspect him stealing' instead of 'suspect him of stealing'.
Visawe
distrust (Implies lack of trust, not necessarily belief in guilt of a specific act.)
Vinyume
trust (To believe someone is honest and not guilty.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
suspect strongly
|suspect wrongly
|suspect someone of theft
|begin to suspect
Mada
law
|crime
|belief
Mifano
- I suspect him of lying about where he was last night.
- Police suspect her of being involved in the fraud.
- They began to suspect that he was hiding something.
- I don't suspect you, but I need to ask some questions.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I suspect he took my pen.
- The teacher suspects the boy of cheating.
- They suspect her of stealing money.
- I do not suspect him.
Kitenzi
B2
action
3
Think something might be true
To think that something is probably true, even if you are not sure.
Muundo wa matumizi:
[someone] suspect[s] (that) [clause]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may confuse 'suspect' with 'expect'; 'expect' implies anticipation, while 'suspect' implies uncertainty and possibility.
Visawe
suppose (Suggests thinking something is true, often casually or without strong evidence.)
Vinyume
doubt (To think something may not be true.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
suspect the truth
|rightly suspect
|wrongly suspect
Mada
belief
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- I suspect that she knows more than she is telling.
- They suspected it would rain later that day.
- We suspected that he might be planning a surprise.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- I suspect it will rain today.
- She suspects that he is sick.
- They suspect the game will be canceled.
adjective
B2
property
4
Seeming dishonest or unsafe
Looking like it may be bad, wrong, or not safe.
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners might confuse 'suspect' (adjective) with 'suspicious'; 'suspect' describes the thing itself as doubtful, 'suspicious' describes feelings about it or behavior that causes suspicion.
Visawe
questionable (Implies doubt about honesty, safety, or quality.)
Vinyume
trustworthy (Seen as reliable and honest.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
suspect behavior
|suspect motives
|look suspect
Mada
judgment
|safety
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- His story sounds a bit suspect to me.
- They bought some meat from a suspect source.
- The deal seemed suspect from the beginning.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- This food looks suspect.
- His answer is suspect.
- The man’s actions are suspect.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
suspect
IPA
GB/sˈʌspˌɛkt/
US/sˈʌspˌɛkt/
Silabi na mkazo
sus - pect (silabi 2)
Stress on 1st syllable (sus)
Maumbo ya neno
Adjective
- Base: suspect
Noun
- Base: suspect
- Plural: suspects
Verb
- Base: suspect
- 3rd Person Singular: suspects
- Present Participle: suspecting
- Past: suspected
Familia ya neno
Forms
suspects
noun
suspecting
verb
suspected
verb
Core family
suspicion
noun B1
suspicious
adjective B1
Related words
suspiciously
adverb B2
Negative and opposite forms
unsuspecting
adjective
unsuspected
adjective B2
Advanced or less common
suspiciousness
noun
Semi
prime suspect
1/pɹˈaɪm sˈʌspˌɛkt/
fixed phrase
Main person thought guilty of crime
The person who police think most likely did the crime.
Mifano
- He remains the prime suspect in the murder case.
- The police named her as their prime suspect.
benefit of the doubt
1/bˈɛnəfɪt əv ðə dˈaʊt/
fixed phrase
Believe good until proven wrong
To believe someone is telling the truth until there is proof they are not.
Mifano
- I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time.
- I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she forgot to call.
- She got the benefit of the doubt because there was no clear evidence.
- He got the benefit of the doubt from his boss this time.
under suspicion
1/ˈʌndɚ səspˈɪʃən/
fixed phrase
thought to be guilty
People think you may have done something wrong.
Mifano
- He has been under suspicion since the money disappeared.
- Two employees are under suspicion for leaking company secrets.
- The official is under suspicion for taking bribes.
- He has been under suspicion since the incident.