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

Asking for advice instead of feedback gives you a better chance of getting some helpful suggestions, says Grant. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 11 Feb. 2025

Most acknowledge the tough spot the OP (original poster) was in while offering their own suggestions. —Devonne Goode, Parents, 10 Feb. 2025

Musk, who typically posts between 50 and 100 tweets per day, is taking the bottom-up approach by letting foot soldiers supply suggestions that get seen — and acted on — by his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). —Neal Rothschild, Axios, 8 Feb. 2025

The members solicited suggestions from treatment providers and members of the public about how the money might be used. —Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2025

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)