v.
Pronunciation: s ə - ' spend
Function: verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French suspendre, from Latin suspendere, from sub-, sus- up + pendere to cause to hang, weigh
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1 : to debar temporarily especially from a privilege, office, or function < suspend a student from school>
2 a : to cause to stop temporarily < suspend bus service> b : to set aside or make temporarily inoperative < suspend the rules>
3 : to defer to a later time on specified conditions < suspend sentence>
4 : to hold in an undetermined or undecided state awaiting further information < suspend judgment> < suspend disbelief>
5 a : HANG especially : to hang so as to be free on all sides except at the point of support < suspend a ball by a thread> b : to keep from falling or sinking by some invisible support (as buoyancy) <dust suspend ed in the air> c : to put or hold in suspension < suspend ed sediment>
6 a : to keep fixed or lost (as in wonder or contemplation) b : to keep waiting in suspense or indecision
7 : to hold (a musical note) over into the following chord
intransitive verb
1 : to cease operation temporarily
2 : to stop payment or fail to meet obligations
3 : HANG
synonyms see DEFER