Suspend Meaning
/səsˈpɛnd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo halt something temporarily.
verbTo hold in an undetermined or undecided state.
Sentence Examples
O time, suspend your flight!
During the movie, I tried to suspend my disbelief, but failed.
The school board decided to suspend classes due to the heavy blizzard.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Due to dangerous weather conditions, the airline will ____ all flights until further notice.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The school decided to ____ the student for two days after he was caught breaking the strict safety rules today.
Word Origin & History
From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Suspend your indignation against my brother."
— c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:
"The guard nor fights nor flies; their fate so near / At once suspends their courage and their fear."
— 1636 (date written), John Denham, “The Destruction of Troy, an Essay upon the Second Book of Virgils Æneis”, in Poems and Translations, with The Sophy, London: […] [John Macock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1668, →OCLC:
"Pack ice, at times mounting to a height of 35 ft., snow, fog, and floating mines all played their part in the disorganisation of railway services, and most of the train ferry services were completely suspended for a month or more; [...]."
— 1940 May, “Overseas Railways: Icebound Denmark”, in Railway Magazine, page 302:
"Services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High are currently suspended, following a 30-metre breach of the Union Canal that occurred on August 12 after torrential rain and thunderstorms. The thousands of gallons of water that cascaded onto the railway line below washed away track, ballast and overhead line equipment, and undermined embankments along a 300-metre section of Scotland's busiest rail link."
— 2020 August 26, “Network News: Major flood damage severs key Edinburgh-Glasgow rail artery”, in Rail, page 21:
"“Essentially everything Miller says about suspending habeas corpus – which would eliminate the ability of the courts to rule on immigration matters – is wrong,” CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig said. […] The Constitution only allows habeas corpus to be suspended when “in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.”"
— 2025 May 9, Kaitlan Collins, Samantha Waldenberg and Tierney Sneed, “Trump involved in discussions over suspending habeas corpus, sources say”, in CNN:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Due to dangerous weather conditions, the airline will ____ all flights until further notice.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The school decided to ____ the student for two days after he was caught breaking the strict safety rules today.