suspend
suh-SPEND
/səˈspɛnd/
To temporarily prevent a driver's license or driving privileges from being legal or active.
To suspend means the license is taken away temporarily with a set end date, unlike 'revoke', which means the license is permanently cancelled.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'suspendere', meaning 'to hang up, interrupt, or keep in suspense' (from 'sub-' meaning 'up from under' + 'pendere' meaning 'to hang'). When your license is suspended, it is metaphorically 'hung up' on a peg, out of your reach.
Word relationships
- revoke: Suspend is temporary, while revoke is a permanent cancellation that requires re-applying for a license.
- invalidate: Invalidate means to make legally void, which can be permanent or temporary, whereas suspend is strictly temporary.
- reinstate: Reinstate means to restore a suspended license to active, legal status.
Commonly confused with
- cancel: Cancelling a license usually happens due to administrative errors or medical reasons, not as a penalty.
Word family
- suspension (noun): The temporary active withdrawal of a driver's license.
Collocations
- suspend a license
- temporarily suspend
- license is suspended
- order to suspend
Example sentences
- "The state will suspend your license for six months if you refuse to take a chemical sobriety test." A legal warning about driving under the influence.
Memory hook
When your license is suspended, your driving privileges are 'suspended' in mid-air—you can't touch them. Suspend means to hang up your keys.
When not to use
Do not use 'suspend' if the license has been permanently taken away without an easy path to restoration.
Fun facts
- The word 'suspense' in movies comes from the exact same root—keeping the audience 'hanging' in anticipation.
Explore more words
suspension, halt, interrupt, discontinue, take a break, reprieve
Also appears in
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