: a person who brings a legal action compare defendant
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We won't complain about the origins of plaintiff, although complain and plaintiff are distantly related; both can be traced back to plangere, a Latin word meaning "to strike, beat one's breast, or lament." Plaintiff comes most immediately from Middle English plaintif, itself an Anglo-French borrowing tracing back to plaint, meaning "lamentation." (The English word plaintive is also related.) Logically enough, plaintiff applies to the one who does the complaining in a legal case.
the judge ruled that the plaintiff's lawsuit was groundless, and he dismissed it
Recent Examples on the WebStephen Miller, a senior White House adviser in the Trump administration, is actively seeking plaintiffs to file more claims.—Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024 With discovery long finished, a trial could be calendared in the next six months or so, plaintiff attorney Brian Hochman told the Observer Monday.—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024 As part of the settlement, the city agreed to stop trashing people’s personal belongings immediately, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs.—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Despite this arrangement, however, the plaintiffs are speaking out.—Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 29 Feb. 2024 Another plaintiff, Charles Rees Karn, 20, who first entered the Wyoming Boys’ School at age 13 and stayed two separate times from 2017 to 2021, said in the lawsuit that staff members put him in isolation on multiple occasions, including stints of 30 and 45 days each.—Deon J. Hampton, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 The Queen of Disco's husband, Bruce Sudano, is cited as the lead plaintiff in the suit, per the filing.—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 The abuse went on for about a year, the plaintiff said.—Josh Cain, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Several Indiana plaintiffs, including Hoosier Jews for Choice, were challenging the new law on religious-freedom grounds.—Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plaintiff.' 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
Middle English plaintif, from Anglo-French, from pleintif, adjective
Middle French plaintif, from plaintif, adj., grieving, from plaint lamentation, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament
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