as in complainants
the person in a legal proceeding who makes a charge of wrongdoing against another
the judge ruled that the plaintiff's lawsuit was groundless, and he dismissed it
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Recent Examples of plaintiffs
The plaintiffs signed that agreement without being allowed to have an attorney to review it, King wrote.
—
David K. Li, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
Attorneys for plaintiffs in other, similar cases, however, say Abbott’s threat to pull the formulas is a scare tactic.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
One of the two plaintiffs represented in the lawsuit is connected to the criminal investigation.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
The Supreme Court’s decision offered no guidance on remediation for importers that paid into the IEEPA tariff scheme, though justices questioned both lawyers for the plaintiffs and the defense about what such a process might look like during oral arguments in November.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
Rather, the justices granted the plaintiffs’ request for emergency relief to vacate the Ninth Circuit’s stay of the lower judge’s order pending appeal.
—Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Their top priority, however, is the safe return of the embryos to the plaintiffs.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
The plaintiffs’ deceased daughters are Lila Bonner, Molly DeWitt, Lainey Landry, Blakely McCrory, Margaret Bellows, Chloe Childress, Katherine Ferruzzo, Sarah Marsh and Mary Kate Jacobe.
—Alexa Shrake, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
The lawyers took down affidavits from the plaintiffs’ immigration attorneys—the men themselves were unreachable—and crafted an argument to protect a wider class of migrants in custody.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
David K. Li, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
Attorneys for plaintiffs in other, similar cases, however, say Abbott’s threat to pull the formulas is a scare tactic.
—Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
One of the two plaintiffs represented in the lawsuit is connected to the criminal investigation.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
The Supreme Court’s decision offered no guidance on remediation for importers that paid into the IEEPA tariff scheme, though justices questioned both lawyers for the plaintiffs and the defense about what such a process might look like during oral arguments in November.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
Rather, the justices granted the plaintiffs’ request for emergency relief to vacate the Ninth Circuit’s stay of the lower judge’s order pending appeal.
—Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Their top priority, however, is the safe return of the embryos to the plaintiffs.
—Nathaniel Percy, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
The plaintiffs’ deceased daughters are Lila Bonner, Molly DeWitt, Lainey Landry, Blakely McCrory, Margaret Bellows, Chloe Childress, Katherine Ferruzzo, Sarah Marsh and Mary Kate Jacobe.
—Alexa Shrake, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
The lawyers took down affidavits from the plaintiffs’ immigration attorneys—the men themselves were unreachable—and crafted an argument to protect a wider class of migrants in custody.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plaintiffs
complainants
Noun
-
Fong declined to specify the nature of the allegations or identify complainants, beyond confirming that the accusations were unrelated to either Gomez or Henrich.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
16 Jan. 2026
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Currently, the Police Oversight office allows complainants to resolve more minor complaints, like when an officer is rude, by asking that the officer's supervisor to talk to them about their conduct.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiffs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plaintiffs. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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