complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
1
: the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding
2
: one who complains

Examples of complainant in a Sentence

the complainant charged that the defendant had broken the ironclad contract that both had signed
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Folsom complainant references the potential damage from repeated and stressful sounds hundreds of times. Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 23 July 2025 The agency currently cannot investigate some North Dakotans’ tips because they must be submitted as formal complaints, which some complainants are uncomfortable doing, agency staff have said. Mary Steurer, ProPublica, 9 June 2025 Another complainant alleges the lack of white people was somehow a throwback to a previous era, as if there was another period in history when only Black people performed at Super Bowl halftime shows. David Gilbert, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025 The seven-month investigation, conducted by U.K. law firm Lewis Silkin, examined 83 specific allegations against the 60-year-old presenter from 41 complainants. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for complainant

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complainant was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Complainant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complainant. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

complainant

noun
com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
1
: one who makes a legal complaint
2
: one who complains

Legal Definition

complainant

noun
com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
: the party (as a plaintiff or petitioner) who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding

More from Merriam-Webster on complainant

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