suitor

noun

suit·​or ˈsü-tər 

1

: one that petitions or entreats

2

: a party to a suit at law

3

: one who courts a woman or seeks to marry her

4

: one who seeks to take over a business

Synonyms of suitor

• boyfriend
• lover
• wooer
• man
• fellow

Examples of suitor in a Sentence

He was her most persistent suitor, and she eventually agreed to marry him.

An unwanted suitor is buying up the company's stock.

Recent Examples on the Web

Newcastle can now extract far more money from any potential suitors and will be more confident of keeping hold of Hall now, though the prospect of the England defender leaving has not been entirely extinguished. — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026

Zoie, a dynamic forward and at 5-9 taller than her 5-5 fraternal twin Kai, had a longer list of Division I, Power 4 college suitors than her sister. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

Baby is fussy, so back to Mom to eat as suitor Robert Pattinson tries his shot at Anne Hathaway. — Zachary Pincus-Roth, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Potential suitors would also naturally be looking at what the future holds for the entertainment business at large. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English sutour, suytour, follower, petitioner, from Anglo-French siuter, suytour, from Latin secutor follower, from sequi to follow — more at sue

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for suitor

• neuter
• pewter
• router
• scooter
• shooter
• tutor
• commuter
• computer
• polluter
• recruiter
• microcomputer
• minicomputer

Kids Definition

suitor

noun

suit·​or ˈsüt-ər 

1

: one that petitions or pleads

2

: a party to a suit at law

3

: a man who courts a woman or seeks to marry her

Legal Definition

suitor

noun

suit·​or ˈsü-tər 

1

: a party to a suit

2

: one that seeks to take over a business

approved the merger before the suitor obtained a 10% stake

—Wall Street Journal