Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Suspend

Suspend , transitive verb

[French suspendre, or Old French souspendre (where the prefix is Latin subtus below, from sub under), Latin suspendere, suspensum; pref. sus- (see Sub-) + pendere to hang. See Pedant, and compare Suspense, n.]

1.
To attach to something above; to hang; as, to suspend a ball by a thread; to suspend a needle by a loadstone.
2.
To make to depend; as, God hath suspended the promise of eternal life on the condition of obedience and holiness of life. [Archaic] — Tillotson
3.
To cause to cease for a time; to hinder from proceeding; to interrupt; to delay; to stay.
Suspend your indignation against my brother. — Shakespeare
The guard nor fights nor fies; their fate so near At once suspends their courage and their fear. — Denham
4.
To hold in an undetermined or undecided state; as, to suspend one's judgment or opinion. — Locke
5.
To debar, or cause to withdraw temporarily, from any privilege, from the execution of an office, from the enjoyment of income, etc.; as, to suspend a student from college; to suspend a member of a club.
Good men should not be suspended from the exercise of their ministry and deprived of their livelihood for ceremonies which are on all hands acknowledged indifferent. — Bp. Sanderson
6.
To cause to cease for a time from operation or effect; as, to suspend the habeas corpus act; to suspend the rules of a legislative body.
7.
(Chemistry) To support in a liquid, as an insoluble powder, by stirring, to facilitate chemical action.
Collocations (1)
To suspend payment (Commerce) , to cease paying debts or obligations; to fail; -- said of a merchant, a bank, etc.

Suspend , intransitive verb

To cease from operation or activity; esp., to stop payment, or be unable to meet obligations or engagements (said of a commercial firm or a bank).