suit

1 of 2

noun

1
: 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
2
a
: an action or process in a court for the recovery of a right or claim
b
: recourse or appeal to a feudal superior for justice or redress
3
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
4
slang : a business executive
usually used in plural
5
: a group of things forming a unit : suite
used chiefly of armor, sails, and counters in games
6
: an act or instance of suing or seeking by entreaty : appeal
specifically : courtship
7
archaic : suite sense 1
suited adjective

suit

2 of 2

verb

suited; suiting; suits

transitive verb

1
: to meet the needs or desires of : please
suits me fine
2
a
: to be proper for : befit
a mood that suits the occasion
b
: to be becoming to
that dress suits you
3
: to outfit with clothes : dress
4
: accommodate, adapt
suit the action to the word

intransitive verb

1
: to put on specially required clothing (such as a uniform or protective garb)
usually used with up
players suiting up for the game
2
: to be in accordance : agree
the position suits with your abilities
3
: to be appropriate or satisfactory
these prices don't suit

Examples of suit in a Sentence

Noun 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 Verb 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 on the Web
Noun
In other words, celebrity beauty moments are following suit. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 7 Oct. 2024 South Dakota was the first state to recognize it in 1989, and the California cities of Berkeley and Santa Cruz followed suit. Clare Mulroy, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Oct. 2024
Verb
Indigenous white oak is the perfect material for both indoor and outdoor decorating with a natural elegance to suit both. Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2024 With a choice of four fresh new colorways—Rose/Off-White, Orange/Off-White, Graphite/Green, Lilac/Off-White and Graphite/Off-White—there’s bound to be a POP Icon Keys to suit even the fussiest of Gen Z workers. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for suit 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'suit.' 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

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 7

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of suit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near suit

Cite this Entry

“Suit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suit. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

suit

1 of 2 noun
1
: an action or process in a court for enforcing a right or claim
2
: an act or instance of requesting earnestly
especially : courtship
3
: a number of things used together : set
4
a
: an outer costume of two or more pieces
b
: a costume to be worn for a special purpose or under particular conditions
gym suit
5
a
: all the cards of one kind (as spades or hearts) in a pack of playing cards
b
: all the dominoes bearing the same number

suit

2 of 2 verb
1
: to outfit with clothes : dress
2
: to make suitable : adapt
suit the action to the word
3
a
: to be proper for
a mood that suits the occasion
b
: to be becoming to
that dress suits you
4
: to meet the needs or desires of : please
suits me fine
5
: to be in accordance : agree
the job suits with your abilities
6
: to be appropriate or satisfactory
these prices do not suit

Medical Definition

suit

Legal Definition

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
Etymology

Noun

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

More from Merriam-Webster on suit

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