to institute a process in law against; bring a civil action against.
to sue someone for damages.
to woo or court.
Obsolete. to make petition or appeal to.
to institute legal proceedings (against)
to make suppliant requests of (someone for something)
archaic to pay court (to)
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English suen, siwen, from Old French sivre, from unattested Vulgar Latin sequere “to follow,” for Latin sequī
If you sue someone, you're accusing them (in court) of doing something wrong or illegal and demanding that they pay for it. Almost every time someone sues, they're looking for money. One of the last things you want to hear is "I'll sue you!" People sue for a lot of reasons. If you slipped on the ice, you could sue the sidewalk owner for not putting salt down. If you were in a car accident, you could sue the other driver. Years ago, someone sued McDonald's for scalding themselves on a cup of coffee they said was too hot. Sometimes it seems like people will find any reason to sue.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sullivan said he planned to sue the BBC.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
McKinney told The Times he would “absolutely” sue Airbnb if necessary in office.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Altman won that battle with a jury rejecting Musk’s claims, partly because Musk waited too long to sue.
From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026
Florida is the first state in the U.S. to sue OpenAI over claims that ChatGPT poses a risk to children, and Uthmeier said he expects other states to follow its lead.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
“No, he’s dead. There’s no trial. We’ve all talked about suing. We’ll probably sue the nightclub, maybe the police.”
From "Feed" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
