Suggest

Pronunciation

• IPA: /səˈdÊ’É›st/, /səɡˈdÊ’É›st/
• Rhymes: -É›st

Origin

Coined based on Latin suggestus, perfect passive participle of suggerō ("I carry or bring under, furnish, supply, excite, advise, suggest"), from sub ("under") + gerō ("I bear, carry").

Full definition of suggest

Verb

1. (transitive) To imply but stop short of saying explicitly.
• John LockeSome ideas ... are suggested to the mind by all the ways of sensation and reflection.
• 2011, December 14, Angelique Chrisafis, Rachida Dati accuses French PM of sexism and elitism, She was Nicolas Sarkozy's pin-up for diversity, the first Muslim woman with north African parents to hold a major French government post. But Rachida Dati has now turned on her own party elite with such ferocity that some have suggested she should be expelled from the president's ruling party.
2. Are you suggesting that I killed my wife?
3. To make one suppose; cause one to suppose (something).
• 2012, May 24, Nathan Rabin, Film: Reviews: Men In Black 3, In the abstract, Stuhlbarg’s twinkly-eyed sidekick suggests Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 by way of late-period Robin Williams with an alien twist, but Stuhlbarg makes a character that easily could have come across as precious into a surprisingly palatable, even charming man.
• 2013-08-16, Sarah Boseley, Children shun vegetables and fruit, The Heart Foundation's data … suggests there has been little improvement in eating, drinking and exercise habits in spite of the concern about obesity and the launch of the government's child measurement programme, which warns parents if their children are overweight. About a third of under-16s across the UK are either overweight or obese.
4. The name "hamburger" suggests that hamburgers originated from Hamburg.
5. (transitive) To ask for without demanding.
   I’d like to suggest that we go out to lunch.   I’d like to suggest going out to lunch.
6. (transitive) To recommend.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 19, Nothing was too small to receive attention, if a supervising eye could suggest improvements likely to conduce to the common welfare. Mr. Gordon Burnage, for instance, personally visited dust-bins and back premises, accompanied by a sort of village bailiff, going his round like a commanding officer doing billets.
7. The guidebook suggests that we visit the local cathedral, which is apparently beautiful.
8. (obsolete, transitive) To seduce; to prompt to evil; to tempt.
• William ShakespeareKnowing that tender youth is soon suggested.

Usage notes

ask for without demanding This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund (the form ending in -ing). See

Synonyms

• (imply but stop short of saying explicitly) allude, hint, imply, insinuate
• (ask for without demanding) propose

Derived terms

• suggestion
• suggestive