suggest

(səg-jĕst', sə-jĕst') pronunciation
tr.v., -gest·ed, -gest·ing, -gests.
  1. To offer for consideration or action; propose: suggest things for children to do; suggested that we take a walk.
  2. To bring or call to mind by logic or association; evoke: a cloud that suggests a mushroom; a ringlike symbol suggesting unity.
  3. To make evident indirectly; intimate or imply: a silence that suggested disapproval.
  4. To serve as or provide a motive for; prompt or demand: Such a crime suggests apt punishment.

[Latin suggerere, suggest- : sub-, up; see sub- + gerere, to carry.]

suggester sug·gest'er n.

SYNONYMS   suggest, imply, hint, intimate, insinuate. These verbs mean to convey thoughts or ideas by indirection. Suggest refers to the calling of something to mind as the result of an association of ideas: "his erect and careless attitude suggesting assurance and power" (Joseph Conrad). To imply is to suggest a thought or an idea by letting it be inferred from something else, such as a statement, that is more explicit: The effusive praise the professor heaped on one of the students seemed to imply disapproval of the rest. Hint refers to an oblique or covert suggestion that often contains clues: My imagination supplied the explanation you only hinted at. Intimate applies to indirect, subtle expression that often reflects discretion, tact, or reserve: She intimated that her neighbors were having marital problems. To insinuate is to suggest something, usually something unpleasant, in a covert, sly, and underhanded manner: The columnist insinuated that the candidate raised money unethically.



1. When followed by a that-clause (or one with that omitted) and proposing a course of action rather than hinting at a fact, suggest commonly generates a subjunctive verb, and the same is true of the noun suggestion:
Uncle doesn't suggest that she bring a lamp from the next room—Saul Bellow, American English 1987
The suggestion that all HIV-positive individuals be forcibly tattooed—Dædalus, American English 1989
He suggested she try her hand at adapting Beaumarchais's Eugénie—M. Finberg, British English 2001.
Alternative constructions with should (He suggested that they should find a scenic route), and with an ordinary tense (I suggest that he has another try) are more common in British English than in American English, but in general this verb is one of the great mainstays of the subjunctive mood in modern English. See subjunctive mood.

2. Note that when suggest means 'state as a fact or hypothesis' rather than 'propose' an ordinary tense is used:
I cannot accept John Peel's suggestion that punk rockers are the only truly socialist representatives we have left—Sounds, 1977.

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verb

  1. To state, as an idea, for consideration: advance, offer, pose, propose, propound, put forward, set forth, submit. See offer.
  2. To lead to by logical inference: imply, indicate, point to. See meaning.
  3. To convey an idea by indirect, subtle means: hint, imply, insinuate, intimate2. Idioms: drop a hint. See show/hide, suggest.
  4. To have a particular flavor or suggestion of something: savor, smack2, smell, taste. See suggest.


v

Definition: convey advice, plan, desire
Antonyms: declare, demand, order, tell

Word Tutor:

suggest

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: To offer up an idea or something to think about.

pronunciation I suggest that you wait one hour before leaving because the traffic is very bad right now.

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Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'suggest'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to suggest, see:

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Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - foreslå, antyde, henstille, tyde på, lade ane, minde om, lede tanken hen på, fremkalde, inspirere til

idioms:

  • suggest itself    melde sig

Nederlands (Dutch)
suggereren, voorstellen

Français (French)
v. tr. - suggérer, suggérer que, sembler indiquer, évoquer

idioms:

  • suggest itself    venir à l'esprit (de qn) (une idée)

Deutsch (German)
v. - vorschlagen, schließen lassen, suggerieren, unterstellen

idioms:

  • suggest itself    sich anbieten

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - προτείνω, εισηγούμαι, διατείνομαι, υποστηρίζω, υπαινίσσομαι, υπονοώ, συνιστώ, υποδεικνύω, υποδηλώνω, φέρνω στο νου, θυμίζω

idioms:

  • suggest itself    (για ιδέα κ.λπ.) έρχομαι στο νου

Italiano (Italian)
proporre, suggerire, accennare a

idioms:

  • suggest itself    si suggerisce

Português (Portuguese)
v. - sugerir

idioms:

  • suggest itself    vir à mente

Русский (Russian)
предлагать, советовать, внушать (мысль), гипнотизировать, приходить (в голову)

idioms:

  • suggest itself    напрашиваться (о мысли, вопросе)

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - sugerir, proponer, indicar, insinuar, hacer pensar en, evocar

idioms:

  • suggest itself    venir a la mente

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - föreslå, framkasta, hemställa, antyda, låta förstå, tyda på, vittna om, påminna om, påstå

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
提议, 促成, 建议

idioms:

  • suggest itself    浮现在...心中

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 提議, 促成, 建議

idioms:

  • suggest itself    浮現在...心中

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 암시하다, 시사하다, 연상시키다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 提唱する, 暗示する, 示唆する, 思いつかせる

idioms:

  • suggest itself    心に浮かぶ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يقترح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮הציע, המליץ, העלה במחשבה, הזכיר, נתן סימנים, רמז‬


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