noun
suspicion
B1
Verdacht (der) means suspicion. Common uses include being suspected or having doubts; typical collocation: 'unter Verdacht stehen' (to be under suspicion). The noun is masculine, plural Verdachte (per metadata), genitive singular des Verdachts. Plural is uncommon for the abstract sense; standard declension otherwise.
Examples
Ich habe einen Verdacht.
I have a suspicion.
Die Polizei hatte einen Verdacht gegen ihn.
The police had suspicions about him.
Der Angeklagte blieb unter Verdacht, obwohl die Untersuchungen noch andauerten.
The defendant remained under suspicion, although the investigations were still ongoing.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine a detective pointing and saying there's a clue — that moment is 'Verdacht'.
Sounds a bit like 'ver-dark' → imagine a dark thought of suspicion.
der Verdacht — picture a male detective ('der Detective') to remember masculine gender.
Notes
As a noun 'Verdacht' is often used in set phrases like 'in Verdacht haben' (to suspect someone) and 'unter Verdacht stehen' (to be under suspicion). The noun is often uncountable in some contexts (no plural) but can appear in plural forms in specific meanings.