suit

noun \ ˈsüt \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

1 archaic : suite 1

2 a : recourse or appeal to a feudal superior for justice or redress

b : an action or process in a court for the recovery of a right or claim

3 : an act or instance of suing or seeking by entreaty : appeal; specifically : courtship

4 : a group of things forming a unit : suite —used chiefly of armor, sails, and counters in games

5 : a set of garments: such as

a : an ensemble of two or more usually matching outer garments (such as a jacket, vest, and trousers)

businessmen wearing three-piece suits

b : a costume to be worn for a special purpose or under particular conditions

gym suits

6 a : all the playing cards in a pack bearing the same symbol

b : all the dominoes bearing the same number

c : all the cards or counters in a particular suit held by one player

a 5-card suit

d : the suit led

follow suit

7 slang : a business executive —usually used in plural

—

suited

play \ˈsü-təd\ adjective

See suit defined for English-language learners

See suit defined for kids

Examples of suit in a Sentence

He wore his gray suit to the job interview.
filed a suit against the company that had manufactured the faulty heater, claiming they were responsible for the fire

Recent Examples of suit from the Web

The suit, filed in federal court, alleges that a black seventh-grader was repeatedly harassed and assaulted by a white classmate at Lansing Middle School, including being grabbed twice in the genitals.

— anne branigin, The Root, "A Black Student Says He Was Sexually Harassed and Assaulted by a White Classmate, but Only He Was Punished," 15 May 2018
The suit alleges that the companies violated the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, the Florida RICO Act and common law public nuisance.

— steve contorno and lawrence mower, miamiherald, "Pam Bondi sues makers of opioids, says it's time they pay for the pain they caused | Miami Herald," 15 May 2018
The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., alleges that the victim was discriminated against because of his race.

— tony rizzo and katy bergen, kansascity, "Black student sues over treatment after sexual and physical assault by white student | The Kansas City Star," 14 May 2018
And, as a result of the end date being pushed up, the start date has been made to follow suit.

— SI.com, "Premier League Transfer Window to Open This Thursday in Order to Comply With FIFA Rules," 14 May 2018
The suit also alleges that Cruz has been punished more harshly because of his brother's crimes, pointing to an exorbitant $500,000 bail after his initial arrest.

— dakin andone, CNN, "The Parkland shooter's brother says he wants to start an anti-bullying campaign," 13 May 2018
The suit alleges that Apple tech tell users to try this before allowing a warranty repair, despite knowing that the keyboards are defective.

— dwight silverman, Houston Chronicle, "Lawsuit targets Apple MacBook, MacBook Pro keyboards," 13 May 2018
After the discovery, international pressure prompted the United Arab Emirates to ban child jockeys in the early 2000s, and Oman—the location of the above video—followed suit in 2005.

— National Geographic, "See the Ancient Tradition of Camel Racing From Above," 11 May 2018
The suit doesn’t allege that those parties knew about the wrongdoing.

— tiffany kary, Bloomberg.com, "McKinsey Hid Conflicts to Draw Bankruptcy Work, Alix Says," 9 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of suit

Middle English sute, seute pursuit, retinue, set, legal action, from Anglo-French siute, suite, from Vulgar Latin *sequita, from feminine of *sequitus, past participle of *sequere to follow — more at sue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

suit Synonyms

Synonyms

appeal, cry, desire, entreaty, petition, plea, pleading, prayer, solicitation, supplication;

Related Words

application, requisition;

call, claim, demand, insistence;

suit

verb

transitive verb

1 a : to be becoming to

that dress suits you

b : to be proper for : befit

a mood that suits the occasion

2 : to outfit with clothes : dress

3 : accommodate, adapt

suit the action to the word

4 : to meet the needs or desires of : please

suits me fine

intransitive verb

1 : to be in accordance : agree

the position suits with your abilities

2 : to be appropriate or satisfactory

these prices don't suit

3 : to put on specially required clothing (such as a uniform or protective garb) —usually used with up

players suiting up for the game

See suit defined for English-language learners

Examples of suit in a Sentence

This kind of behavior hardly suits a person of your age.
She gave a serious speech that suited the occasion.
The formal furniture really suited the style of the house.
The job suits her very well.

Recent Examples of suit from the Web

The resulting ensembles, a suite of suiting in midnight blue and black, achieved that mood for both day and night.

— edward barsamian, Vogue, "Javier Bardem Breaks Down His Elegant Ermenegildo Zegna Wardrobe for Cannes 2018," 14 May 2018
This will give you an idea if the agent or company suits your needs.

— leah napoliello, Houston Chronicle, "BBB on Homes: It’s best to hire a Realtor when buying, selling home," 13 May 2018
Should the daily breakfast creation not suit your taste, there is plenty to choose from otherwise.

— lindsey mcclave, The Courier-Journal, "You won't regret indulging at downtown Louisville's Atlantic No. 5," 9 May 2018
The comforts of simple foods fit neatly into their schedules, and suited the security-seeking tastebuds of their children.

— debbi snook, cleveland.com, "Mother's Day Memories: Four Cleveland chefs still cherish childhood favorites (photos, recipes)," 9 May 2018
The apps are so hard to use they may as well be nonexistent, which suited my purposes just fine.

— michael zelenko, The Verge, "There’s no perfect minimalist phone — yet," 3 May 2018
From: Atlanta, GA Your hypothetical best-seller: Wool suiting for women.

— emilia petrarca, The Cut, "These 10 FIT Students Are the Future of Fashion," 3 May 2018
But if these don’t suit your fancy, click here to see a list of all the deals Best Buy is currently offering.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "5 Best Tech Deals from Today's Best Buy Flash Sale," 30 Apr. 2018
Sometimes, truly honoring the spirit of an adapted character requires embracing aesthetic modifications to best suit the different strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities of the new medium.

— ciara wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, "Where 'Avengers' Should Have Embraced the Uncanny," 28 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of suit

14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

suit Synonyms

SUIT Defined for English Language Learners

suit

noun

: a set of clothes that usually consists of a jacket and a skirt or pair of pants that are made out of the same material
: a set of clothes or protective covering that is worn for a special purpose or under particular conditions
: a process by which a court of law makes a decision to settle a disagreement or problem between people or organizations

suit

verb

: to provide what is required or wanted by or for (someone or something)
: to be proper or suitable for (someone or something)
: to be attractive on (someone)

SUIT Defined for Kids

suit

noun \ ˈsüt \

1 : a set of clothing having matching top and bottom pieces

2 : a set of clothes or protective coverings worn for a special purpose or under particular conditions

a gym suit

a suit of armor

3 : an action in court to settle a disagreement or enforce a right or claim

4 : all the playing cards of one kind (as spades, hearts, diamonds, or clubs) in a pack

suit

verb

suited; suiting

1 : to be suitable or satisfactory

The time of the meeting suits my schedule.

2 : to make suitable : adapt

You should suit your speech for your audience.

3 : to be proper for or pleasing with

That scarf does not suit the dress.

4 : to meet the needs or desires of

… it was fully settled that James should go … as it suited his master …
—Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

Medical Dictionary

suit

— see g suit, pressure suit

Law Dictionary

suit

noun

: a proceeding to enforce a right or claim; specifically : an action brought in a court seeking a remedy for injuries suffered or a determination of rights : lawsuit

Origin and Etymology of suit

Anglo-French siute suite suit request to initiate legal proceedings, literally, pursuit, from siute, feminine past participle of suire to follow, from Old French sivre — see sue