sug ‧ gest S1 W1 /səˈdʒest $ səɡˈdʒest/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ suggestion , ↑ suggestiveness ; adjective : ↑ suggestive , ↑ suggestible ; verb : ↑ suggest ; adverb : ↑ suggestively ]
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: past participle of suggerere 'to put under, provide, suggest' , from sub- ( ⇨ ↑ sub- ) + gerere 'to carry' ]
1 . to tell someone your ideas about what they should do, where they should go etc ⇨ propose :
The zoo asked its visitors to suggest a name for the new baby panda.
suggest (that)
Her mother suggested that she should go and see the doctor.
I suggest you call him first.
It has been suggested that the manager will resign if any more players are sold.
suggest doing something
Tracey suggested meeting for a drink after work.
suggest how/where/what etc
Can you suggest what kind of tool I should use?
can/may I suggest (=used to politely suggest a different idea)
May I suggest that you think carefully before rushing into this?
► Do not say ‘suggest (someone) to do something’. Say suggest doing something or suggest that someone (should) do something .
2 . to make someone think that a particular thing is true SYN indicate :
Trends in spending and investment suggest a gradual economic recovery.
suggest (that)
Opinion polls suggest that only 10% of the population trust the government.
evidence/results/data/studies etc suggest(s) that
The evidence suggests that single fathers are more likely to work than single mothers.
3 . to tell someone about someone or something that is suitable for a particular job or activity SYN recommend
suggest somebody/something for something
John Roberts has been suggested for the post of manager.
4 . to state something in an indirect way SYN imply :
Are you suggesting my husband’s been drinking?
5 . to remind someone of something or help them to imagine it:
The stage was bare, with only the lighting to suggest a prison.
6 . something suggests itself if an idea suggests itself, you think of it:
I’ll look at my cookbooks and see if anything suggests itself.
7 . I’m not suggesting spoken used to say that what you have said is not exactly what you intended to say:
I’m not suggesting for one moment that these changes will be easy.
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THESAURUS
▪ suggest to tell someone your ideas about what they should do:
'Why don’t you come with us?', Alan suggested.
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It was a sunny afternoon and so I suggested going to the beach.
▪ recommend to suggest that someone goes somewhere, tries something etc because you know that it is good and you think they will like it:
Can you recommend a good restaurant near here?
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It’s a brilliant book - I’d recommend it to anyone.
▪ propose formal to formally suggest a plan or course of action, especially at a meeting:
The government has proposed building a new town just north of the city.
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I propose that we send a delegation to London to discuss our concerns.
▪ put forward to suggest an idea, plan, reason etc:
The party has put forward new proposals to reduce the number of cars in the town centre.
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The idea was first put forward by Aristotle.
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A number of reasons have been put forward to explain these negative results.
▪ nominate to officially suggest someone for an important job or position, or a person, film etc for a prize, especially when people will vote to make a decision:
He’s been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times.
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Three candidates have been nominated for the position of chairman.