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We won't complain about the origins of plaintiff, although complain and plaintiff are distantly related; both can be traced back to plangere, a Latin word meaning "to strike, beat one's breast, or lament." Plaintiff comes most immediately from Middle English plaintif, itself an Anglo-French borrowing tracing back to plaint, meaning "lamentation." (The English word plaintive is also related.) Logically enough, plaintiff applies to the one who does the complaining in a legal case.
Examples of plaintiff in a Sentence
Michelle Watson, CNN, 27 Jan. 2025
Pratt's mother, Janet Pratt, is also on the list of plaintiffs, along with a man named William Pratt.
—Charmaine Patterson, People.com, 24 Jan. 2025
In addition to Heidi and Spencer, the list of plaintiffs includes Janet and William Pratt.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2025
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and a group of 17 plaintiffs challenged the law on behalf of themselves, booksellers, patrons of bookstores, bookseller associations and author associations.
—Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for plaintiff 
Dictionary Entries Near plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plaintiff
noun
Legal Definition
plaintiff
noun
Middle French plaintif, from plaintif, adj., grieving, from plaint lamentation, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament
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