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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
Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2025
Shannon Minter, the legal director for the National Center for LGBTQ Rights and an attorney representing the group, said some plaintiffs could stand to lose millions of dollars.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
The plaintiffs argue that without a court order blocking UCLA from leaving they would be deprived of the ability to plan and manage the stadium’s schedule and ongoing business operations.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Nov. 2025
The plaintiffs, which include third-place finisher Oscar Alejandro, argue that Frank Carollo should be removed from the runoff ballot and replaced by Alejandro, who would face off against second-place finisher Rolando Escalona, who netted 17% of the vote.
—Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 17 Nov. 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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