plaintiff

American  

[pleyn-tif] / ˈpleɪn tɪf /

noun

Law.

• plaintiffs
  plural

1. a person who brings suit in a court (opposed to defendant).

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plaintiff British  

/ ˈpleɪntɪf /

noun

1. Now replaced by: claimant.  (formerly) a person who brings a civil action in a court of law Compare defendant

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plaintiff Cultural  

1. The party that institutes a suit in a court. The person or entity the plaintiff sues is the defendant.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plaintiffship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plaintiffs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of plaintiff

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plaintif “complaining person,” noun use of the adjective; see plaintive

Explanation

In a courtroom, the plaintiff is the person or group who is accusing another person or group of some wrongdoing. If you’re the plaintiff, you are claiming that a law was broken, and you’re in court to present your case. The plaintiff accuses, the defendant tries to prove that accusation wrong. You’ve seen this relationship on television shows about lawyers, or maybe you’ve been to court yourself. The Old French root word translates as “complain” and the Latin root is literally “beating of the breast,” or explaining your grief in a dramatic way. Plaintiff shares roots with the adjective plaintive, which describes a sorrowful sound. The plaintiff made a plaintive cry when the defendant was declared not guilty.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plaintiff plaintiffs

The plaintiff here sued for money, but settled for an apology and something he never formally requested: immunity.

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

Paramount has pushed back saying the plaintiff states have defined markets that fail to factor in the rise of technology companies, including Netflix, Google’s YouTube and Amazon Studios, which also attract significant swaths of viewership.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Today the industry is extending grace, but the first time an autonomous agent causes a breach involving real data, a real plaintiff, and real financial losses, liability won't be an academic debate anymore," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

It notched a win this month after the teenage plaintiff in another case dropped his suit without receiving any payment from Meta, after settling with co-defendants YouTube, Snap and TikTok.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“I was right next to the plaintiff when this incident occurred,” Danny says, standing next to me.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. set a deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the ballroom project.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The plaintiffs say those moments matter because Trump often uses the platform to announce major developments, such as during the Iran war, that can move financial markets.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The plaintiffs ultimately want the court to force the city to restart the tax implementation process.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The Energy Department agreed to formal stipulations in exchange for the plaintiffs forgoing the discovery process, which likely would have meant officials would be deposed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

There were only four plaintiffs now, since one of the women, Jeanette Reese, had dropped out under pressure from her employer.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

Related Words

• complainant
• litigant
• prosecutor