suspensesus‧pense /səˈspens/ noun [uncountable] 
They kept us in suspense for over two hours. Come on then, tell me what happened; the suspense is killing me (=I feel very excited or anxious because I do not know what will happen next). She couldn’t bear the suspense a moment longer.suspense novel/story/movie etc (=one which is exciting because you do not know what will happen next)
WORD ORIGINsuspense
Origin:
1400-1500 Old French suspendre; ➔ SUSPENDEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- It is a classic story of love and suspense.
- A story of love and suspense set in the South Seas.
- After 2 days' paddling and considerable suspense at last we reached the three corner point with Czechoslovakia/Hungary.
- At least it would end the awful suspense.
- It is the suspense novel, a type more easily recognised than defined.
- Sovereignty is never held in suspense.
- The suspense is cut through when he walks out on them.
- The country was tense with suspense.
- The play is constructed in such a way as to keep the audience in suspense until the very end.
Longman Language Activatorto make someone wait
to make someone wait, especially by arriving late: · I'm sorry to keep you waiting.· She was annoyed because she had been kept waiting.keep sb waiting for: · Lott kept us waiting for 40 minutes while he attended another meeting.
to deliberately make someone wait: · Shaw made us wait a few days before giving us an answer.· They made me wait for half an hour before allowing me to see my father.
to make someone wait anxiously or excitedly before you tell them something that they are eager to know: · Come on - don't keep us in suspense - who won?· The audience is kept in suspense to the very end of the play.
to make someone wait a long time for something that you are not actually going to give them: · They kept me hanging on for three weeks before they finally told me they weren't going to give me the job.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY They kept us in suspense for over two hours. Come on then, tell me what happened; the suspense is killing me (=I feel very excited or anxious because I do not know what will happen next). She couldn’t bear the suspense a moment longer. Don’t keep us in suspense any longer! What happened next? The suspense is killing me.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
a feeling of excitement or anxiety when you do not know what will happen nextin suspense They kept us in suspense for over two hours. Come on then, tell me what happened; the suspense is killing me (=I feel very excited or anxious because I do not know what will happen next). She couldn’t bear the suspense a moment longer. (=one which is exciting because you do not know what will happen next)
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Don’t keep us in suspense any longer! What happened next? The suspense is killing me.· Not always easy to categorize, her books combine gothic and romantic suspense elements often with historical settings.· A contemporary story of mystery and romantic suspense of a woman who returns home to die and ends up learning to love.· Her most recent books have been more in the romantic suspense vein than the gothic.· A psychologically oriented tale of romantic suspense.· Compare the romantic suspense novels of Mary Stewart with the international espionage tales of Ian Fleming.
NOUN· It is the suspense novel, a type more easily recognised than defined.· If this notion suits you temperamentally, then try producing this sort of suspense novel.· Compare the romantic suspense novels of Mary Stewart with the international espionage tales of Ian Fleming.· Romantic suspense novels are escape novels.
· The suspense story of the Napoleonic Monkey was familiar, of course.· Hot or not: Good cast, good creative team; a suspense story about political corruption always seems to be topical.· Similarly, Mary Stewart produces suspense stories with equally strong mystery and romance plotlines.
VERB· There was a silence, and, unable to bear the suspense any longer, she raised her eyes.· I could not bear suspense of any kind.· Unable to bear the suspense, she hurried down into the hall.· When I could bear the suspense no longer, I posed the final, and most significant question to her.· I must have waited several minutes, I should have known but I couldn't bear the suspense.
· So let's not keep you in suspense and join Katie prior to her departure from a surprising location for international flight.· The play is constructed in such a way as to keep the audience in suspense until the very end.
They kept us in suspense for over two hours. Come on then, tell me what happened; the suspense is killing me (=I feel very excited or anxious because I do not know what will happen next). She couldn’t bear the suspense a moment longer.suspense novel/story/movie etc (=one which is exciting because you do not know what will happen next)