What does "sus" mean?
Suspicion (in terms of a sus law).
Sus
/sʌs/ adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Suspicion (in terms of a sus law).
- Grammar: sus is listed as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: dubious, genus sus, hmm, huh.
- Useful contrasts: certainty, credible, legitimacy.
- Usage evidence: My boyfriend's been acting pretty sus lately.
How to use "sus"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sus" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sus" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sus" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sus" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sus" is acting as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dubious" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sus", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Suspicion (in terms of a sus law). UK, informal, uncountable
"The committee […] said ‘sus’ had acquired a symbolic significance out of all proportion to its significance as a criminal charge."
- 2 Abbreviation of sport utility sedan (“an AWD sedan with increased ground clearance and fatter knobbier tires”). abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 plural of SU form-of, plural
Verb
- 1 To suspend an account on social media (almost exclusively Twitter/X). Internet, slang, transitive
"yeah, the account posting offensive stuff got sussed."
Adjective
- 1 Suspicious; having suspicions or questions. slang
"Even my lame psychic ability told me he'd be pretty sus if he found me pissing on in the lounge room on a week night."
- 2 Abbreviation of suspended. abbreviation, alt-of, not-comparable, slang
- 3 Suspicious; raising or causing people to have suspicions. slang
"Why this should be I will never know except I might be a pretty sus looking geezer or something. They took about six of us who were in the cafe down the nick and dubbed us up in separate peters. After a long while these two bogies came into ..."
- 4 Acting in a borderline sexually inappropriate way, causing others to "suspect" them of being sexually attracted to someone and trying to hide it. humorous, often, slang
"That guy is always acting sus with the boys—are you sure he's not gay?"
Intj
- 1 A nonsense word commonly used in YouTube Poop by playing an audio clip forward and in reverse consecutively; said in reference to this editing style, and to describe palindromes and humorously symmetrized images. Internet, humorous, nonce-word, slang
"You better fuf, and then you better broob, 'cause if you don't broob, you're nothing but a nothing, and then the nothing becomes a nothing, and then your nothing is a joj, and then your nothing is sus […]"
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of sus. alt-of
Slang
- 1 Suspicious or sketchy. slang, gaming, 2020s
"That account is sus."
Proper Noun
- 1 Synonym of Shush (“city in Khuzestan, Iran”). obsolete
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"My boyfriend's been acting pretty sus lately."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sus"?
Common synonyms include: dubious, genus sus, hmm, huh, questionable, shady.
How do you use "sus" in a sentence?
My boyfriend's been acting pretty sus lately.
How do you pronounce "sus"?
Pronounced /sʌs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Persian سوس (sus), alternative form of شوش (šuš), from Middle Persian 𐭮𐭥𐭱𐭩 (sūš), from Old Persian 𐏂𐎢𐏁𐎠 (çūšā), from Elamite 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗 (šušen). Doublet of Susa and Shush.
Etymology 2
Clipping of suspicion. Compare suss out, suss.
Etymology 3
Clipping of suspicious.
Etymology 4
Clipping of suspended.
Etymology 5
Clipping of suspend.