suspended

[ suh-spen-did ]

adjective

1. hung by attachment to something above:

   A suspended ceiling can conceal ducts and wiring, enhance acoustics, and provide thermal insulation.

2. attached so as to allow free movement, as on a hinge:

   The wardrobe is available with either sliding doors or suspended doors.

3. (of particles of one substance in the medium of another) kept from falling, sinking, forming a deposit, etc.:

   Her paper describes the content and dynamics of heavy metals in the suspended sediments of a coastal bay.

4. held or kept undetermined or unformed:

   In order to understand others, you need an attitude of suspended judgment—an open mind.

5. Law. (of a sentence) not required to be served, as long as the offender does not reoffend within a specified time period:

   After his first offense he was given a suspended sentence of one year’s probation, with no jail time.

6. stopped, discontinued, or withdrawn, usually temporarily:

   Because he was not only impaired but driving on a suspended license, he was charged with aggravated DUI—a felony.

7. debarred temporarily from exercising an office or privilege, usually as a form of discipline:

   Suspended students can come to our center for tutoring and counseling instead of just playing video games at home.

8. deferred or postponed:

   Some defended the court’s suspended verdict, while others protested that “justice delayed is justice denied.”

9. Music.
   1. (of a note or tone) prolonged or sustained into the next chord:

      The third piece, “Meditation,” uses suspended tones to capture a dreamy, contemplative mood.

   2. (of a chord) made by replacing the third note in a triad with an adjacent note, producing a lack of resolution:

      I think her acoustic guitar pieces rely too much on suspended chords.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of suspend.

Other Words From

• non·sus·pend·ed adjective
• self-sus·pend·ed adjective
• un·sus·pend·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of suspended¹

First recorded in 1530–40; suspend ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; suspend ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

As concerns grew on Wednesday that Russia was preparing to launch a significant air attack in retaliation, the United States suspended operations at its embassy.

From New York Times

Wallen, who had the most nods going into the event but didn't attend on the night, scooped the top prize three years after being suspended by his record label for using a racial slur.

From BBC

The rate at which primary school pupils are being suspended from state schools in England has more than doubled in a decade, BBC analysis suggests.

From BBC

Some have urged the government to be more radical on Help to Buy with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham calling for it to be "suspended" while others have called for it to be scrapped entirely.

From BBC

Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman said Hamas’s office no longer had a function because Qatar had suspended its mediation efforts on a Gaza ceasefire deal, although he stressed that it was not permanently closed.

From BBC

Related Words

• deferred
• delayed