Meaning & use
sussed
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“sussed” is a form of “suss”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitiveBritishinformal
Past form of suss: worked out or discovered the truth about someone or something.
Grammar: Takes an object or a clause: I sussed what he wanted.
Patterns
- suss something out
- suss someone out
I sussed his plan as soon as he started smiling.
She sussed out the trick after watching it twice.
We soon sussed that the shop was closing.
adjectivecomparableBritishinformal
Clever about how things work and not easily fooled.
Grammar: Usually after be: she is well sussed.
Patterns
- be well sussed
He is well sussed about money.
The new manager is sussed and knows the market.
You need to be sussed to run a stall here.
Word forms
| base form | suss |
|---|---|
| third person singular | susses |
| -ing form | sussing |
Common combinations
- sussed out
- He sussed out the problem quickly.
- soon sussed
- The teacher soon sussed who had done it.
- sussed it
- I think I have finally sussed it.
- all sussed
- With the new app, my budget is all sussed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- figured out
- Figured out is neutral and widely used, while sussed is a casual British expression.
- worked out
- Worked out suggests careful thinking, whereas sussed suggests a quick realization.
- twigged
- Twigged is also British informal but suggests a sudden moment of understanding.
- cottoned on
- Cottoned on usually refers to realizing something gradually.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sussed or sus?
sussed vs sus
Sus is slang for suspicious, as in that looks sus, while sussed means figured out.
Practice
It took her five minutes to ____ how the new machine worked.
Choose one answer.
Suss out means work out. The other phrasal verbs are real but do not mean understand, so they do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sussed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.