suspect

To think something is probably true without having definite proof.

I suspect that the delay was caused by a problem with the booking system.

She suspected something was wrong when the figures no longer matched.

We had suspected that the instructions were unclear, but the feedback confirmed it.

The manager suspects that several customers received the same incorrect message.

A person believed to have committed a crime or done something wrong.

Police interviewed the suspect after finding evidence linking him to the stolen vehicle.

Two suspects were released when investigators confirmed where they had been.

The witness could not clearly identify the suspect from the photograph.

The report stressed that a suspect should not automatically be treated as guilty.