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 stopped, discontinued, or withdrawn, usually temporarily: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 Word Forms

• 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

It relied on an anonymous source and came from a police officer who was suspended a few months later.

From Los Angeles Times

Markus Lammert of the European Commission said it would be a "dynamic list" that could be expanded or reviewed, with countries suspended or removed if they were no longer seen as safe.

From BBC

The school dismissed the leaders of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies and suspended its Religion, Conflict, and Peace Initiative over accusations of anti-Israel bias.

From BBC

The Conservatives confirmed on Monday that Mr James had been suspended.

From BBC

Reform UK has backed one of its county council election candidates in Leicestershire after local Conservatives called for him to be suspended over a racist comment he posted on Facebook in 2013.

From BBC

Related Words

• deferred
• delayed