مُشْتَبَه بِهِ
muštabah bihimasculine
The English phrase "suspect" (as a noun) can be translated into Arabic as مُشْتَبَه بِهِ (muštabah bihi). Wiktionary also lists مَشْبُوه (mašbūh).
Meaning: person suspected of something (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| مُشْتَبَه بِهِ | muštabah bihi | masculine |
| مَشْبُوه | mašbūh |
This term refers to a person suspected of something. The related verb form used to express the action of believing someone to be guilty is …اِشْتَبَهَ بِ.
Which one should you use?
While مُشْتَبَه بِهِ specifically refers to a person suspected of a crime, the adjective مَشْبُوه is used more broadly to describe things or people that appear suspicious, dubious or shady.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a female suspect using the formal term, the suffix changes from bihi to biha to become مُشْتَبَه بِهَا.
How do you pronounce it?
muštabah bihi
Did you know?
- Because the root relates to 'resemblance', an old linguistic interpretation is that a 'suspect' is someone who 'resembles' a criminal.
- In Arabic legal contexts, the term مُشْتَبَه بِهِ is a passive construction, literally meaning 'one who is suspected of', rather than a single standalone noun like the English 'suspect'.
- The word مَشْبُوه can be applied to inanimate objects, such as a 'suspicious package', whereas مُشْتَبَه بِهِ is almost exclusively reserved for people.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
A news reporter is talking to a journalist about a recent police report.
- أحمد Ahmedهل تم القبض على المُشْتَبَه بِهِ؟hal tamma al-qabd 'ala al-mushtabah bihi?Has the suspect been arrested?
- ليلى Laylaنعم، الشرطة قبضت عليه صباح اليوم.na'am, al-shurta qabadat 'alayhi sabaha al-yawm.Yes, the police caught him this morning.
- أحمد Ahmedهل هو مُشْتَبَه بِهِ في حادث السير؟hal huwa mushtabah bihi fi hadith al-sayr?Is he the suspect in the car accident?
- ليلى Laylaلا، هو مُشْتَبَه بِهِ في قضية أخرى.la, huwa mushtabah bihi fi qadiyya ukhra.No, he is a suspect in another case.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “suspect” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
