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 In 2022, for instance, Ben & Jerry's sued its parent company for selling its business in Israel and the country's West Bank region to a local licensee, arguing that the sale violated Unilever's pledge to end sales of its products in the region in 2021 as a show of support for the Palestinian cause. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024 California Mom sued fair that tracked down daughter’s goat for slaughter. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Fisker’s founders and board of directors have also been sued by shareholders in federal court in California for allegedly failing to disclose material weaknesses in its financial reporting, inaccurate accounting, and delivery limitations. William Gavin, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 Those couples sued the clinic for negligence and damages under the state’s Wrongful Death of a Minor Act. Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Mar. 2024 Members of the court also raised questions about whether the plaintiffs — Missouri and Louisiana, along with five individuals — had suffered the kind of injury that gave them standing to sue. Adam Liptak, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Earthjustice sued the EPA on behalf of environment and community groups including the Rio Grande International Study Center for not updating the rules in nearly a decade and leaving communities unaware of the risks. Alejandra Martinez, ProPublica, 15 Mar. 2024 After the Trump team sued the Justice Department in 2022 to get his records back, Cannon appointed a special master to conduct an independent review of the documents taken during the FBI's Mar-a-Lago search. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2024 The family of 60-year-old Dean Hoffmann, who died by suicide at Waupun Correctional Institution last June, sued the DOC over his death, alleging prison officials were deliberately indifferent to Hoffmann's serious mental health needs, which resulted in his suicide. Molly Beck, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 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 28 Mar. 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

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