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Glite Dictionary
to raise suspicion

to raise suspicion

7 4.6
Make people doubt someone or something
  • phrasal verb
  • /reɪz səˈspɪʃən/
translation icon : despertar sospechas
  • The unusual behavior of the man in the store began to raise suspicion among the employees.

After a little time passes, then they may start raising suspicions about people you work with who may represent a threat to you.

Examples

  • You can't just draw a million dollars out of the bank without raising suspicion.

    The Finder (2001)

  • Although there is no predominant fracture pattern in child abuse, certain types of fractures should raise suspicion.

    Academic text (2006)

  • A town that small, it's easy to raise suspicion.

    Project Ithaca (2019)

  • That would just raise suspicion.

    Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008)

  • So it must be something that can be close by, without raising suspicion.

    Grave Intentions (2021)

  • Scripts must be delivered to producers without raising suspicion.

    Trumbo (2015)

  • It would easily raise suspicion.

    Eye in the Sky (2015)

  • Tax haven countries almost always raise suspicion when you use their passports in foreign countries for business purposes.

    Blog text (34)

  • Froch has done nothing whatsoever to raise suspicions that he might not be clean.

    Blog text (7)

  • The opinion stated that such activities could raise suspicion about possible violations of Article 187-188a of the penal code.

    Academic text (2007)

Synonyms

to incriminate
vsto raise suspicion
50 7.4

To make someone seem guilty of a crime by showing proof against them

is milder, causing general mistrust rather than asserting legal guilt
to cast doubt
vsto raise suspicion
17 4.6

Make people feel unsure if something is true

is about causing general mistrust of a person or thing rather than only truth questions
to plant a seed of doubt
vsto raise suspicion
  • Informal
1 5.9

To make someone begin to feel unsure about something

is a broader act causing people to mistrust rather than only seeding small uncertainty
to inculpate
vsto raise suspicion
  • Formal
1 9.9

To say someone is guilty of a crime

is a more general act that makes people mistrust without alleging crime

Antonyms

to assure
823 3.0

To tell someone something confidently to remove their doubts or fears

How Suspicious

to reek
26 6.7
to smell fishy
  • Informal
2 6.8
to raise suspicion
7 4.6

Surface Forms

raise suspicion infinitive
raised suspicion past
raised suspicion past participle
raising suspicion present participle
raises suspicion third person singular

Morphology

raise + suspicion

The meaning is directly compositional: 'raise' (to cause or increase) combined with 'suspicion' (doubt or mistrust) clearly yields 'to cause people to feel doubt'. This verb+noun causative pattern is common across languages and standard English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Raise suspicion may come from the image of lifting a small flag or hand to warn others; when you raise a sign, people notice and suspicion grows. So, to raise suspicion means to make people feel 'doubt' or 'mistrust'.