sued; suing

transitive verb

1
a
: to seek justice or right from (a person) by legal process
specifically : to bring an action against
b
: to proceed with and follow up (a legal action) to proper termination
2
archaic : to pay court or suit to : woo
3
obsolete : to make petition to or for

intransitive verb

1
: to take legal proceedings in court
2
: to make a request or application : plead
usually used with for or to
sue for peace
3
: to pay court : woo
he loved … but sued in vainWilliam Wordsworth
suer noun

Examples of sue in a Sentence

Some people sue over the most minor things. People injured in accidents caused by the defective tire have threatened to sue. They've threatened to sue the company. He is suing the doctor who performed the unnecessary surgery.
Recent Examples on the Web The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the merger of Joanne Crevoiserat's Tapestry and fellow fashion giant Capri. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024 Mariah Dodds also sued Verna's Tavern in Monroe County Circuit Court on Monday. Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024 An Air Force weapons analyst had sued Nixon, claiming he’d been fired in retaliation for telling Congress about massive cost overruns in the Defense Department. USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024 The battle began last year when the nuns sued Olson and the diocese after Olson and other diocese officials came to the monastery to investigate reports that Gerlach violated her vow of chastity with a priest from outside of the diocese. Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024 Then in 1996, Deneuve was sued for copyright infringement by French actress Catherine Deneuve. Lindsay Lee Wallace, TIME, 23 Apr. 2024 Pete was sued along with her personal and touring companies, as well as Roc Nation. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2024 The Federal Trade Commission is suing to block Tapestry's $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings, saying the deal would harm consumers by reducing competition and raising prices in the affordable luxury sector. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2024 Nintendo sued the developers of the emulator and forced them to pony up $2.4 million. Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 22 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sewen, siuen to follow, strive for, petition, from Anglo-French sivre, siure, from Vulgar Latin *sequere, from Latin sequi to follow; akin to Greek hepesthai to follow, Sanskrit sacate he accompanies

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of sue was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sue

Cite this Entry

“Sue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sue. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

sue

verb
sued; suing
1
: to seek justice from a person by bringing a legal action
2
: to make a request or application : plead
usually used with for or to
the weaker nation sued for peace
suer noun

Legal Definition

sue

verb
sued; suing

transitive verb

: to bring an action against : seek justice from by legal process

intransitive verb

: to bring an action in court
Etymology

Anglo-French suer suire, literally, to follow, pursue, from Old French sivre, ultimately from Latin sequi to follow

Biographical Definition

Sue

biographical name

ˈsü How to pronounce Sue (audio)
ˈsᵫ
Eugène 1804–1857 originally Marie-Joseph Sue French novelist

More from Merriam-Webster on sue

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!