suss out

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Meaning · English

To come to understand (a person).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

hiểu rõ về một người

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: colloquial

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

We've sussed him out—he only drinks on Fridays and only in that bar in town.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

To manage to work (something) out, to discover or determine (something).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

tìm ra, khám phá, xác định

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: colloquial

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “suss out” mean?

To come to understand (a person).

Is “suss out” formal or informal?

suss out is generally colloquial.