suspension

[ suh-spen-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act of suspending.

   Synonyms: hiatus, abeyance, cessation, discontinuance, interruption, intermission

2. the state of being suspended.

   Synonyms: hiatus, abeyance, cessation, discontinuance, interruption, intermission

3. temporary abrogation or withholding, as of a law, privilege, decision, belief, etc.

   Synonyms: hiatus, abeyance, cessation, discontinuance, interruption, intermission

4. stoppage of payment of debts or claims because of financial inability or insolvency.
5. Chemistry.
   1. the state in which the particles of a substance are mixed with a fluid but are undissolved.
   2. a substance in such a state.
6. Physical Chemistry. a system consisting of small particles kept dispersed by agitation mechanical suspension or by the molecular motion in the surrounding medium colloidal suspension.
7. something on or by which something else is suspended or hung.
8. something that is suspended or hung.
9. Also called suspension system. the arrangement of springs, shock absorbers, hangers, etc., in an automobile, railway car, etc., connecting the wheel-suspension units or axles to the chassis frame.
10. Electricity. a wire, filament, or group of wires by which the conducting part of an instrument or device is suspended.
11. Music.
    1. the prolongation of a tone in one chord into the following chord, usually producing a temporary dissonance.
    2. the tone so prolonged.
12. Rhetoric. the heightening of interest by delay of the main subject or clause, especially by means of a series of parallel preceding elements.

suspension

/ səˈspɛnʃən /

noun

1. an interruption or temporary revocation

   the suspension of a law

2. a temporary debarment, as from position, privilege, etc
3. a deferment, esp of a decision, judgment, etc
4. law
   1. a postponement of execution of a sentence or the deferring of a judgment, etc
   2. a temporary extinguishment of a right or title
5. cessation of payment of business debts, esp as a result of insolvency
6. the act of suspending or the state of being suspended
7. a system of springs, shock absorbers, etc, that supports the body of a wheeled or tracked vehicle and insulates it and its occupants from shocks transmitted by the wheels See also hydraulic suspension
8. a device or structure, usually a wire or spring, that serves to suspend or support something, such as the pendulum of a clock
9. chem a dispersion of fine solid or liquid particles in a fluid, the particles being supported by buoyancy See also colloid
10. the process by which eroded particles of rock are transported in a river
11. music one or more notes of a chord that are prolonged until a subsequent chord is sounded, usually to form a dissonance

suspension

/ sə-spĕn′shən /

1. A mixture in which small particles of a substance are dispersed throughout a gas or liquid. If a suspension is left undisturbed, the particles are likely to settle to the bottom. The particles in a suspension are larger than those in either a colloid or a solution. Muddy water is an example of a suspension.
2. Compare colloid

Other Words From

• nonsus·pension noun
• presus·pension noun
• resus·pension noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of suspension¹

1520–30; < Latin suspēnsiōn- (stem of suspēnsiō ), equivalent to suspēns ( us ) ( suspense ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Even if Senate Republicans strike a deal with Senator Debbie Stabenow, any agreement would face hurdles in the House, where ultraconservatives’ long-standing opposition makes passage under suspension of the rules unlikely.

From Salon

"He has paid his fines but will have to serve his suspensions before he can play on the DP World Tour," the spokesman added.

From BBC

She was suspended for an initial 18 months which will be replaced with a permanent suspension, although she can choose to appeal.

From BBC

There will also be suspension of disabled parking on Castle Place and of parking on Donegall Place.

From BBC

The next week, he started at left tackle because Alaric Jackson was serving the second game of a two-game suspension and Noteboom had suffered an ankle injury in the opener.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• break
• freeze
• halt
• interruption
• layoff
• moratorium
• period
• postponement
• stoppage
• termination

More About Suspension

What does suspension mean?

Suspension most commonly means a stoppage or withholding of something, especially a temporary one, as in The parade requires a temporary suspension of traffic. 

Suspension is the noun form of the verb suspend. The most common and general meanings of suspend are to hang something by attaching it to something else, to cause to stop, to bring to a stop, or to postpone. Most meanings of suspension are based on these meanings of suspend in some way.

Suspension has several specific meanings.

It can refer to an official punishment of someone, such as an employee, student, or athlete, in which they are not allowed to participate in an activity for a certain period of time, as in He is serving a five-game suspension for fighting. A person is said to serve a suspension (much like how a person is said to serve a prison sentence). A person serving a suspension is said to be suspended.

In cars and some other vehicles, the suspension (or suspension system) is the collective system (of parts like springs and shock absorbers) that supports the body of the vehicle and is intended to reduce the amount of bumpiness being transmitted from the wheels to the rest of the vehicle.

In chemistry, suspension most commonly refers to a liquid or other substance in which solid particles are mixed but not dissolved—muddy water is a basic example.

Where does suspension come from?

The first records of the word suspension in English come from the 1520s. The verb suspend is recorded earlier, in the 1200s, and comes from the Latin verb suspendere, meaning “to hang up.”

Most meanings of suspend can be divided into those that are based on the literal meaning of hang up—”to hang something by attaching it to something else”—or those that are based on the more idiomatic meaning of hang up—”to delay or postpone.”

This second meaning is the basis of the most common use of suspension—a temporary stoppage.

When there is a suspension of some activity, it is stopped altogether, usually in an official way, but often temporarily. Government agencies might order the suspension of air travel for safety reasons or the management of a struggling company might order the suspension of hiring.

Suspension commonly refers to the temporary stoppage of participation in an activity as a form of punishment. This kind of suspension often results from a serious violation of the rules, such as a student who cheats on a test or a professional athlete who tests positive for having used banned substances. Such suspensions are often for a set amount of time or, in the case of pro athletes, a certain number of games.

In music, suspension refers to delaying the end of a tone in a chord so that it runs into the next chord.

Suspension of disbelief is the practice of postponing or ignoring the skepticism you have about unrealistic parts of a story in order to enjoy it. (If you can believe it, the term was coined by poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1817.)

We’re glad you’ve hung around to hear the senses of suspension that involve something that’s hanging from or in something else.

In the context of chemistry, a suspension involves particles that are just hanging there in a liquid, undissolved. (If the suspension is left alone, the particles will eventually settle to the bottom.)

A suspension bridge is a bridge whose deck (the surface on which people walk or drive) is hung from cables.

Dd you know ... ?

What are some other forms of suspension?

• suspend (verb)
• nonsuspension (noun)
• resuspension (noun)
• presuspension (noun)

What are some synonyms for suspension?

• stoppage
• freeze
• halt
• break
• postponement

What are some words that share a root or word element with suspension? 

• suspense

What are some words that often get used in discussing suspension?

 

• stop
• temporary
• hang
• punishment
• fine
• school
• game
• misconduct
• car

How is suspension used in real life?

Suspension is a very common word that’s used in many different contexts. Most of the time it involves something that’s been temporarily stopped or something that’s hanging in some way.

Suspension of activities of UN monitors in Syria dramatically illustrates the crisis of the peace efforts. Security Council must act.

— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) June 16, 2012

Automatic game misconduct, 5 game suspension and maximum fine for fighting. https://t.co/BM4QeBAkzC

— Kevin (@Kpower90) April 20, 2020

"Shoutout to Galloway for re-paving Jimmie Leeds road, my car's suspension thanks you"

— Stockton Confessions (@StoConfessed) October 3, 2014

 

 

Try using suspension!

Which of the following words is an antonym (opposite) of suspension when it refers to a stoppage?

A. freeze
B. postponement
C. continuation
D. halt