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

The club beat competition from suitors such as Barcelona and Atletico Madrid thanks to a change of stance on his signing. — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026

Tired of grinding out a living in Vegas, ballerina-turned-showgirl Michelle (Sutton Foster) finally agrees to marry Hubbell (Alan Ruck), a longtime suitor who doesn’t exactly set her heart aflame. — Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

As for the story, neither the Phantom nor the callow boyfriend struck me as proper suitors for Christine. — David Allen, Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026

But before all that, Diana meets an appealing suitor, Lalo (Andrew Bargsted), who seems to teleport into her birthday party. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 7 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