suggestion

noun

sug·​ges·​tion səg-ˈjes-chən 

sə-ˈjes-,

-ˈjesh-

1

a

: the act or process of suggesting

b

: something suggested

2

a

: the process by which a physical or mental state is influenced by a thought or idea

the power of suggestion

b

: the process by which one thought leads to another especially through association of ideas

3

: a slight indication : trace

a suggestion of a smile

Synonyms

• clue
• cue
• hint
• indication
• inkling
• intimation
• lead

Examples of suggestion in a Sentence

Do you have any suggestions?

Please send comments and suggestions to our post office box.

I have a suggestion: call the store and ask them about it.

I'd like to offer a suggestion.

I reject his suggestion that we shouldn't have helped them.

trying to influence people's thoughts by using suggestion

The director relies on the power of suggestion rather than explicitly showing the murder.

Recent Examples on the Web

The findings were published in a two-part report detailing how many children had attended Indian boarding schools, how many had died, the number and location of burial sites, how much federal funding the schools had received, and suggestions for moving forward. —Miyo McGinn, Outside Online, 9 Dec. 2024

Trump himself expressed his disapproval of Wray on Sunday, citing the Mar-a-Lago raid and Wray’s initial suggestion that shrapnel, not an intact bullet, grazed his ear during the July assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. —David Sivak, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Dec. 2024

Zoom in: Other places are finding success with the sessions, though, and moms are quick to offer suggestions in Facebook groups for their favorite studio Santa experiences. —Carlie Kollath Wells, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024

Perot was a billionaire at a time when there were not so many of them, and his suggestions about running the government more like a business hit home with many. —Ron Elving, NPR, 7 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing suggestion

• at/on someone's suggestion
• auto-suggestion
• counter-suggestion
• self-suggestion

Kids Definition

suggestion

noun

sug·​ges·​tion sə(g)-ˈjes-chən 

-ˈjesh-

1

a

: the act or process of suggesting

b

: something (as a thought or plan) that is suggested

2

a

: the process by which a physical or mental state is influenced by a thought or idea

the power of suggestion

b

: the process by which one thought leads to another especially through association of ideas

c

: a way of influencing attitudes and behavior hypnotically

3

: a slight indication

a suggestion of a smile

Medical Definition

suggestion

noun

sug·​ges·​tion sə(g)-ˈjes-chən, -ˈjesh- 

1

a

: the act or process of impressing something (as an idea, attitude, or desired action) upon the mind of another

suggestion in response to propaganda

—Psychological Abstracts

b

: the process by which a physical or mental state is influenced by a thought or idea

the power of suggestion

2

: something impressed upon the mind by suggestion

the posthypnotic carrying out of suggestions held in the unconscious

—G. S. Blum

Legal Definition

suggestion

noun

sug·​ges·​tion

1

a

: the act or process of suggesting

b

: something suggested

2

: an entry on the record of a fact or circumstance (as the death or insolvency of a party) material to a case and essential for the court in making its determination

reference to a party's death in a pleading was not the equivalent of a formal suggestion of death on the record

—Kissic v. Liberty Nat'l Life Ins. Co., 641 So. 2d 250 (1994)