Definition

1. Verb:
   • To suspect; to doubt: To have a feeling that something might be true or false, or that someone might be guilty of something, but without being certain or having full proof.
   • To think/believe (in a doubtful or unexpected context): To hold a thought or belief, often used to express surprise when something turns out differently than what was initially thought.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to suspect/doubt):

  • Tôi ngờ anh ấy không nói sự thật. (I suspect he is not telling the truth.)
  • Cô ấy ngờ tấm vé số này là giả. (She doubts this lottery ticket is real.)
  • Những con số trong báo cáo đó rất đáng ngờ. (The figures in that report are very suspicious/doubtful.)

• Verb (to think/believe - in a surprised context):

  • Ai ngờ trời lại mưa to thế! (Who would have thought it would rain so heavily!)
  • Không ngờ cô ấy lại là chị của anh ta. (I didn't expect/believe she was his sister.)

Advanced Usage

• "không thể ngờ được": Unfathomable; beyond doubt/suspicion (often used to express that something is so certain or so surprising that it defies suspicion or expectation).
  • Kết quả tốt đến mức không thể ngờ được. (The result was so good it was unbelievable/unfathomable.)
• "đáng ngờ": Suspicious; doubtful; worthy of suspicion.
  • Hành động của người đàn ông đó trông rất đáng ngờ. (That man's actions look very suspicious.)
• "hoài ngờ": To be persistently doubtful; to harbor constant suspicion (a more literary variant).
  • Anh ta luôn hoài ngờ về mọi ý kiến của người khác. (He is always suspicious of other people's opinions.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nghi ngờ (verb): To doubt; to suspect (stronger and more common than "ngờ").
  • Cảnh sát nghi ngờ hắn là tội phạm. (The police suspect he is the criminal.)
• Ngờ vực (verb): To distrust; to be skeptical.
  • Cô ấy ngờ vực lời hứa của anh ta. (She distrusts his promise.)
• Hồ nghi (verb): To have misgivings; to be uncertain (more formal/literary).
  • Tôi vẫn còn hồ nghi về tính khả thi của dự án. (I still have misgivings about the project's feasibility.)

Synonyms

• Nghi (verb): To suspect (often used in compounds like "nghi ngờ").
• Hoài nghi (verb): To doubt; to be skeptical.
• Không tin (verb phrase): To not believe.

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

• Ngờ đâu: Who would have thought; little did one know (used to introduce a surprising or unexpected fact).
  • Ngờ đâu người bạn thân nhất lại phản bội tôi. (Little did I know my best friend would betray me.)
• Ngờ rằng: To suspect/believe that (introduces a clause).
  • Tôi ngờ rằng họ đã rời đi từ sáng. (I suspect that they left in the morning.)

Related Idioms

• Mặt ngờ mặt ngợ: To look bewildered, confused, or suspicious (describes a facial expression of doubt or surprise).
  • Nghe tin đó, anh ta đứng mặt ngờ mặt ngợ. (Upon hearing the news, he stood there looking utterly bewildered.)
• Đừng ngờ mặt mà bắt hình dong: Don't judge a book by its cover (literally: Don't suspect the face to catch the shape/form).
  • Cô ấy trông có vẻ nghiêm khắc, nhưng đừng ngờ mặt mà bắt hình dong, cô ấy rất tốt bụng. (She looks strict, but don't judge a book by its cover, she is very kind.)

verb

1. to suspect; to doubt
   • không thể ngờ được
     beyond doubt