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 of suitor

• boyfriend
• lover
• wooer
• man
• fellow

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

As viewers know, her journey to get to happily ever after was filled with a lot of bumps in the road, as well as another suitor, William Ryder (Laurie Davidson). — Tiffany Kelly, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026

Sophie secretly reads her mother’s diary and invites three of her mother’s suitors from the 1970s to her wedding, signing her mother’s name. — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Now is his chance to test the waters and find out if any suitors will approach him with an offer sheet. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 26 June 2026

There’s been a lot of buzz on Pugachyov, and the Blues are among the top suitors for arguably the premier power forward in the draft. — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 26 June 2026

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

Rhymes for suitor

• neuter
• pewter
• router
• scooter
• shooter
• tutor
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• microcomputer
• minicomputer

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