suspension
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the act of stopping or delaying something for a short period of time.
the temporary cessation or postponement of an activity, process, or payment.
Simple“The suspension of the train service caused a lot of trouble for commuters.”
In context“The sudden suspension of trade talks led to immediate volatility in the international markets as investors feared a prolonged stalemate.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a punishment where a student or worker is told to stay away for a while.
a disciplinary measure involving the temporary removal of a person from their position, school, or workplace.
Simple“The player received a three-game suspension for his behavior on the field.”
In context“The board decided that a two-week suspension was a necessary response to the employee's repeated violations of the safety protocol.”
Antonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the system of springs that helps a car or bike travel smoothly over bumps.
the system of springs, shock absorbers, and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and allows relative motion between the two.
Simple“The old car has a very soft suspension, so you don't feel the bumps in the road.”
In context“Engineers tuned the suspension to provide a balance between high-speed stability and passenger comfort on uneven surfaces.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
a liquid that has small pieces of solid mixed in it but not dissolved.
a heterogeneous mixture containing solid particles sufficiently large for sedimentation.
Simple“You must shake the medicine well because it is a suspension.”
In context“The laboratory analysis revealed fine particles of silt held in suspension within the water samples collected from the river mouth.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'in'.
- 05 C2 Proficiency
holding a note from one chord into the next to create a temporary tension.
a means of creating tension by prolonging a note from a previous chord into a new chord where it is dissonant.
Simple“The composer used a suspension to make the ending of the song feel more emotional.”
In context“The piece reaches its emotional peak through a series of suspensions that delay the final harmonic resolution.”
SynonymsAntonyms
“FIFA was criticised after United States President Donald Trump made a phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino urging that US forward Folarin Balogun’s red-card suspension be overturned.”
“Discord now has three days to comply with the suspension and can appeal the decision within 10 business days.”
Borrowed from Late Latin suspensiōnem (“arching, vaulting; suspension”), from suspendēre (“to hang up, to suspend”), from sub- (“under”) + pendere (“to hang, to suspend”), from Proto-Italic pendō (“to hang, to put in a hanging position”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)pénd-e-ti, from *(s)pend- (“to pull; to spin”)). Compare Anglo-Norman suspensiun, French suspension, Occitan suspensio.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.