suitor
Americannoun
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a man who courts or woos a woman.
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Law. a petitioner or plaintiff.
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a person who sues or petitions for anything.
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Informal. an individual who seeks to buy a business.
noun
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a man who courts a woman; wooer
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law a person who brings a suit in a court of law; plaintiff
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rare a person who makes a request or appeal for anything
Etymology
Origin of suitor
1250–1300; Middle English s ( e ) utor, suitour < Anglo-French < Latin secūtor, equivalent to secū-, variant stem of sequī to follow + -tor -tor
Explanation
A suitor is a guy who asks you out on a date. You can describe your sister's prom escort as her suitor. The noun suitor is an old fashioned word for a somewhat old fashioned kind of person: a man who woos or courts a woman. If a boy serenades you from below your bedroom window, he is your suitor, especially if he hopes to marry you one day. In the fourteenth century, a suitor was a fan or follower — the romantic meaning came along almost two hundred years later. The root is the Latin word sequi, "to attend or follow."
Vocabulary lists containing suitor
The Odyssey
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Much Ado About Nothing
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The Suffix -or, Part 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
James Suitor, director of public safety and emergency management at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, said a male patient was "treated and evaluated" in the emergency room for non-life threatening injuries.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2023
“I think we’ve started something here,” said Mark Suitor, a 33-year-old protester from Hamilton, Ontario, speaking as police retook control of the streets around Parliament.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 19, 2022
In London, Suitor was outfitted in a gray suit matching Connery’s in the film, but made of a special flame-resistant Dacron.
From Washington Post • Jan. 24, 2022
Catherine Suitor, an Alliance spokeswoman, acknowledged receipt of the charges, which she characterized in an email as part of the UTLA’s “protracted campaign against our schools.”
From Slate • Sep. 29, 2016
Suitor after suitor appeared to woo the daughter of the King of the Fire-flies until every petal was dotted with them.
From Japanese Fairy World Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Japan by Ozawa
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.
