suitor

noun

suit·​or ˈsü-tər 

1

: one that petitions or entreats

2

: a party to a suit at law

3

: one who courts a woman or seeks to marry her

4

: one who seeks to take over a business

Synonyms

• gallant
• swain
• wooer

Examples of suitor in a Sentence

He was her most persistent suitor, and she eventually agreed to marry him.

An unwanted suitor is buying up the company's stock.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Alex Bregman sweepstakes is seemingly down to a few top suitors this winter. —John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025

There was no shortage of suitors before the unearthing of the card, seemingly willing to buy it, offer their services to sell it or present the card owner with a plentiful package in exchange for the item. —Larry Holder, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025

The seemingly endless recombinations of CNN’s parent organization with various suitors, culminating most recently with the 2022 spinoff from AT&T into Warner Bros. Discovery, has also occasioned reductions and other budget cuts. —David Bloom, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, and Kerry Condon round out the impressive cast for a film that should have a lot of suitors. —Brian Welk, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sutour, suytour, follower, petitioner, from Anglo-French siuter, suytour, from Latin secutor follower, from sequi to follow — more at sue

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

suitor

noun

suit·​or ˈsüt-ər 

1

: one that petitions or pleads

2

: a party to a suit at law

3

: a man who courts a woman or seeks to marry her

Legal Definition

suitor

noun

suit·​or ˈsü-tər 

1

: a party to a suit

2

: one that seeks to take over a business

approved the merger before the suitor obtained a 10% stake

—Wall Street Journal