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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
Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
The plaintiff, who the lawsuit said has lived in the US with his wife and son since being admitted as a refugee in 2024, was abruptly detained January 11.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Kelly Mahoney, a white woman who said she was rejected by the UCLA medical school because of her race, is also a plaintiff.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 29 Jan. 2026
As part of the settlement’s injunctive relief, SDSU will hire, in consultation with the plaintiffs, an independent expert to conduct a Title IX gender equity review assessing the university’s current levels of compliance.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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
