suspend (one's) disbelief
idiom
: to allow oneself to believe that something is true even though it seems impossible
The plot is ridiculous, but if you can suspend disbelief, it's an enjoyable movie.
If you want to enjoy this story, you have to suspend your disbelief.
Examples of suspend (one's) disbelief in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet the balance Dead to Me struck was fragile; if the plot could get cartoonish, then the connection between the two leads, Cardellini and Christina Applegate, and the plausibility of their characters’ bond helped suspend disbelief.
—
Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
For viewers who can suspend disbelief and accept the premise of Powell’s character, a bland philosophy professor turned undercover operative, the rewards are plentiful.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2024
When a crisis puts Sipsworth in danger, the resolution strains credulity, but Van Booy’s yarn proves so appealing that readers will suspend disbelief.
—Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2024
The movies are, ideally, a place to suspend disbelief.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Aside from the inability to suspend disbelief at the silliness of the shrunken test subjects kept in glass jars, The Bride of Frankenstein sets the standard for horror movie sequels to this day.
—Steven Thrash, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
The power of the author grows with his ability to suspend disbelief.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
As with all science fiction, though, The Creator requires you to suspend disbelief in some important ways.
—WIRED, 30 Sep. 2023
Seven decades had to elapse before readers were willing suspend disbelief about the antebellum South and luxuriate in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind.
—Amity Shlaes, National Review, 14 Sep. 2023
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Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
For viewers who can suspend disbelief and accept the premise of Powell’s character, a bland philosophy professor turned undercover operative, the rewards are plentiful.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 29 Nov. 2024
When a crisis puts Sipsworth in danger, the resolution strains credulity, but Van Booy’s yarn proves so appealing that readers will suspend disbelief.
—Danny Heitman, The Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2024
The movies are, ideally, a place to suspend disbelief.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Aside from the inability to suspend disbelief at the silliness of the shrunken test subjects kept in glass jars, The Bride of Frankenstein sets the standard for horror movie sequels to this day.
—Steven Thrash, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023
The power of the author grows with his ability to suspend disbelief.
—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023
As with all science fiction, though, The Creator requires you to suspend disbelief in some important ways.
—WIRED, 30 Sep. 2023
Seven decades had to elapse before readers were willing suspend disbelief about the antebellum South and luxuriate in Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind.
—Amity Shlaes, National Review, 14 Sep. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near suspend (one's) disbelief
Cite this Entry
“Suspend (one's) disbelief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suspend%20%28one%27s%29%20disbelief. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.
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