suspend

Everyday

1. To suspend something is to hang it from above: a lamp suspended from the ceiling. tree →
2. To suspend something is to stop it for a while: matches were suspended because of snow. tree →
3. To suspend a pupil, worker or player is to stop them from coming to school, work or playing for a time as a punishment. tree →
4. (science) If tiny bits are suspended in a liquid or gas, they float in it without sinking or dissolving. tree →

In the lessons

School life: a pupil can be suspended (UK: «excluded» for a fixed time) for serious bad behaviour. Science: in a suspension (like muddy water) bits float and slowly settle; this is different from a solution. Everyday news: trains suspended, services suspended. Stories: «suspend disbelief» means pretending for a while that a magic story is real. Phrases: «suspended sentence» (law), «suspended animation».

Examples

• A big chandelier was suspended from the ceiling. tree →
• All flights were suspended because of the storm. tree →
• He was suspended from school for fighting. tree →
• The player was suspended for two matches. tree →
• Mud particles were suspended in the water. tree →
• The bridge is suspended from strong cables. tree →
• The club suspended training during the holidays. tree →
• For this purpose she jumped upon a peg, and suspending herself from it, pretended to be dead. tree →

Note

Noun forms: suspension (the act or a mixture), suspense (the tense feeling in a story). «Suspension bridge» = a bridge hung from cables. Do not confuse «suspend» with «expel» (to remove permanently).