suspect

1.

/səˈspɛkt/

regard as untrustworthy

2.

/ˈsʌspɛkt/

someone who is believed to be guilty of a crime

Other forms: suspected; suspects; suspecting; suspectedly

A suspect is a person who is believed to be guilty of a crime. If you leave the scene of a murder with blood on your hands and a weapon in your pocket, you’re likely to become a prime suspect.

If others believe you have committed a crime, you are a suspect. The word can also be used as a verb and an adjective. To suspect someone of something is to believe that they probably did it. Do you ever suspect your parents of taking some of your Halloween candy? If something such as someone's excuse or motive is suspect, it seems a bit off. That bad-smelling piece of fish is suspect — you'd better not eat it.

Definitions of suspect (/səˈspɛkt/)

1. verb

   regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
   synonyms: disbelieve, distrust, mistrust

   types:

   doubt

   lack confidence in or have doubts about

   type of:

   disbelieve, discredit

   reject as false; refuse to accept
2. verb

   hold in suspicion; believe to be guilty
   type of:

   guess, imagine, opine, reckon, suppose, think

   expect, believe, or suppose
3. verb

   imagine to be the case or true or probable
   “I suspect he is a fugitive”

   synonyms: surmise

   type of:

   guess, hazard, pretend, venture

   put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation