“suspects” is a form of
suspect
/səˈspɛkt/ verb, noun, adjective
Forms suspects suspecting suspected
- verb (transitive) To imagine or suppose (something) to be true, or to exist, without proof. “to suspect the presence of disease”
- verb (transitive) To distrust or have doubts about (something or someone). “to suspect the truth of a story”
- verb (transitive) To believe (someone) to be guilty. “I suspect him of being the thief.”
- verb (intransitive) To have suspicion.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To look up to; to respect.
- noun A person who is suspected of something, in particular of committing a crime.
- adjective Viewed with suspicion; suspected.
- adjective (nonstandard) Viewing with suspicion; suspecting.
Synonyms
imagine suppose think sniff distrust doubt accuse point the finger at dodgy doubtful dubious fishy suspicious sus defendant surmise mistrust funny shady
Etymology
From Old French suspect, from Latin suspectus, perfect passive participle of suspiciō (“mistrust, suspect”), from sub (“under”), + speciō (“watch, look at”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Suspicious; inspiring distrust. [Obs.]
- adjective Suspected; distrusted. [Obs.]
- noun Suspicion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
- noun One who, or that which, is suspected; an object of suspicion; --formerly applied to persons and things; now, only to persons suspected of crime. Bacon.
Etymology [L. suspectus, p.p. of suspicere to look up, admire, esteem, to look at secretly or askance, to mistrust; sub under + specere to look: cf. F. suspect suspected, suspicious. See Spy, and cf. Suspicion.]
Etymology [LL. suspectus. See Suspect, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “suspect”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details