suit

noun \ ˈsüt \

Definition of suit

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 ruling was actually made on a motion to dismiss the suit by the DNC.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Vote-Rigging Suit Against DNC Dropped, Mostly Because The DNC Can’t Rig Much of Anything," 30 Aug. 2017
The show began with Katy dropping from the ceiling in a killer metallic space suit.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "VMAs 2017: Katy Perry's Yeezy and Chokers Comment Could've Been a Jab at Taylor Swift," 28 Aug. 2017
According to Musk, the suit is not just a mockup but has been tested to double vacuum pressure.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "Elon Musk Teases the First Image of the SpaceX Spacesuit," 23 Aug. 2017
When a male Sloane was not in a suit he could be seen wearing corduroy trousers—or khaki ones in the summer—and a big tweed coat or sheepskin jacket (most likely from Burberry or Barbour).

— olivia blair, Town & Country, "Looking Back at the Official Sloane Ranger Handbook 35 Years Later," 18 Aug. 2017
There have been several other U.S. suits similar to the one against Harris County.

— julia o'donoghue, NOLA.com, "Louisiana AG Jeff Landry enters case defending Texas bail system," 10 Aug. 2017
Continuing the legal battle this morning, Gucci amped up its fight against the fast fashion retailer with two counterclaim suits filed within the U.S. District Court, Central District of California.

— lauren alexis fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gucci Sues Forever 21 Over Knockoff Stripe Designs," 8 Aug. 2017
The district filed a civil suit against him last year to recover the money.

— deborah sullivan brennan, Pomerado News, "Fired PUSD Supt. John Collins facing criminal charges," 8 Aug. 2017
Johnson's son Tellas - whose suit General was buried in - said that his family could not afford the costs of a funeral, so like those of many prisoners before him, his burial was handled by the DOC.

— greg garrison, AL.com, "Teen drowns in Smith Lake," 6 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

suit Synonyms

Synonyms

action, proceeding, lawsuit

Related Words

litigation; case, cause, complaint; counterclaim, countersuit, cross action, cross-claim

suit

verb

Definition of suit

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 successful schools, analysts say, will increasingly be ones that expand their programs to suit the changing needs of employers.

— steve lohr, New York Times, "As Coding Boot Camps Close, the Field Faces a Reality Check," 24 Aug. 2017
The country’s rulers are rearranging fiefdoms to suit their needs, bringing others to heel, and increasingly, abolition is discussed.

— nathan j. brown, Washington Post, "Saudi Arabia is moving to rein in its religious police. Sort of.," 16 Aug. 2017
The driver can select one of four driving modes – comfort, eco pro for efficiency, sport for dynamic driving, and the new adaptive mode to continuously adjust to suit current driving conditions.

— emma jayne williams, star-telegram, "BMW adds M550i xDrive model to the 5-Series sedan line for 2017," 4 Aug. 2017
More: Suit claims K-9 bit autistic teen, seeks canine body cams More: Student dies after jumping off moving bus on Westport Road Louisville attorney Shannon Fauver filed the suits on behalf of the women.

— matthew glowicki, The Courier-Journal, "Second woman accuses LMPD officer of rape," 31 July 2017
With significant buying power, the East Village’s newest residents have helped remake the neighborhood to suit their tastes, wiping away pieces of the long-standing cultural fabric like crumbs from a table.

— jeremiah moss, Longreads, "Mourning the Low-Rent, Weirdo-Filled East Village of Old," 24 July 2017
Suit/Coat Lining Repair Few sounds are as unmistakable (and disappointing) as that of tearing silk.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Best of LA: 92 of Our Favorite Things to Eat, Do, and Buy Right Now," 14 July 2017
The whale's front teeth were suited to nabbing slippery prey, much like those of its ancestors, but Gesiler and coauthors found that the molars of Coronodon formed slots that could have strained small morsels out of the water.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Paleo Profile: The Crown Tooth," 10 July 2017
Dunkirk, a World War II film chock-full of aerial battle sequences and daring naval rescues, is much better suited.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Why Hollywood Should Pay Attention to Dunkirk," 10 July 2017

First Known Use of suit

14th century

suit Synonyms

Synonyms

befit, beseem [archaic], fit [archaic], go, serve, do

Antonyms

displease

Related Words

satisfy, suffice; function, work

Near Antonyms

aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, cross, exasperate, gall, get, grate, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, perturb, pique, put out, ruffle, vex; anger, enrage, incense, inflame (also enflame), infuriate, madden, outrage, rankle, rile, roil, steam up; provoke, rouse; agitate, distress, disturb, fret, upset; harass, harry, pester; affront, insult, offend

SUIT Defined for English Language Learners

suit

noun

Definition of suit for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of suit for English Language Learners

: 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 \

Definition of suit for Students

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

Definition of suit for Students

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

medical Definition of suit

— see g suit, pressure suit

Law Dictionary

suit

noun

legal Definition of suit

: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