sospechar
suspect
Pensar que algo puede ser cierto o que alguien puede haber hecho algo malo, sin tener pruebas claras.
Definition & meaning
Sospechar is a Spanish verb meaning “to suspect,” “to have suspicions,” or “to suppose something is probably true without having full proof.”
It has two closely related uses:
-
To suspect a person or situation
- La policía sospecha del vecino. — The police suspect the neighbor.
- This often suggests doubt, mistrust, or the belief that someone may be involved in something wrong.
-
To suspect or suppose that something is true
- Sospecho que no vendrá. — I suspect that he or she will not come.
- This means to form an uncertain conclusion based on clues or intuition.
It can be used with de when referring to a person or thing: sospechar de — “to suspect someone or something.” It can also be followed by que: sospechar que — “to suspect that.”
Grammar & Word origin
Sospechar is a regular -ar verb.
- Present first person: sospecho — I suspect
- Past participle: sospechado — suspected
- Gerund: sospechando — suspecting
Common grammatical patterns include:
- sospechar de alguien — to suspect someone
- sospechar de algo — to suspect something
- sospechar que... — to suspect that...
- sospechar algo — to suspect something
The word comes from Latin suspectāre, meaning “to suspect” or “to mistrust,” related to the idea of considering something doubtful or possibly true.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonyms
- sospechar — to suspect; the general and most neutral term
- desconfiar — to distrust; emphasizes a lack of confidence in a person or situation
- presumir — to presume or infer; often sounds more formal and does not necessarily imply mistrust
- suponer — to suppose or assume; broader and often weaker than sospechar
- conjeturar — to conjecture; emphasizes making a theory based on incomplete information
- intuir — to intuit or sense; emphasizes instinct rather than evidence
Antonyms
There is no single exact antonym in every context. Depending on the meaning, possible opposites include:
- confiar — to trust; the opposite of suspecting someone
- creer — to believe; expresses acceptance rather than doubt
- confirmar — to confirm; establishes something as true rather than leaving it uncertain
- descartar — to rule out or dismiss as impossible; opposite of considering something a possibility
Common phrases & collocations
- sospechar de alguien — to suspect someone
- sospechar de algo — to suspect something
- sospechar que... — to suspect that...
- tener sospechas — to have suspicions
- levantar sospechas — to arouse suspicion
- sospechar de un delito — to suspect someone of a crime
- sospechar una mentira — to suspect a lie
- no sospechar nada — to suspect nothing
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Examples
Todos sospechan que habrá una fiesta sorpresa.verb
Everyone suspects there will be a surprise party.
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