suit
Americannoun
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suits
plural
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a set of clothing, armor, or the like, intended for wear together.
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a set of men's garments of the same color and fabric, consisting of trousers, a jacket, and sometimes a vest.
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a similarly matched set consisting of a skirt and jacket, and sometimes a topcoat or blouse, worn by women.
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any costume worn for some special activity.
a running suit.
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Slang. Often suits an executive, manager, or official, especially one regarded as a faceless decision maker.
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Law. the act, the process, or an instance of suing in a court of law; legal prosecution; lawsuit.
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Cards.
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one of the four sets or classes (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs) into which a common deck of playing cards is divided.
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the aggregate of cards belonging to one of these sets held in a player's hand at one time.
Spades were his long suit.
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one of various sets or classes into which less common decks of cards are divided, as lances, hammers, etc., found in certain decks formerly used or used in fortune telling.
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the wooing or courting of a woman.
She rejected his suit.
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the act of making a petition or an appeal.
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a petition, as to a person of rank or station.
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Also called set. Nautical. a complete group of sails for a boat.
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one of the seven classes into which a standard set of 28 dominoes may be divided by matching the numbers on half the face of each: a three suit contains the 3-blank, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, and 3-6. Since each such suit contains one of each of the other possible suits, only one complete suit is available per game.
verb (used with object)
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suits,
present (3rd person singular)
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suited,
past participle, past
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suiting
present participle
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to make appropriate, adapt, or accommodate, as one thing to another.
to suit the punishment to the crime.
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to be appropriate or becoming to.
Blue suits you very well.
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to be or prove satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable to; satisfy or please.
The arrangements suit me.
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to provide with a suit, as of clothing or armor; clothe; array.
verb (used without object)
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suits,
present (3rd person singular)
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suited,
past participle, past
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suiting
present participle
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to be appropriate or suitable; accord.
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to be satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable.
verb phrase
idioms
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follow suit,
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Cards. to play a card of the same suit as that led.
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to follow the example of another.
The girl jumped over the fence, and her playmates followed suit.
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suit oneself, to do what one wants to do or what is best for oneself, without regard for others (often used imperatively).
I don’t agree with you, but okay, suit yourself.
noun
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any set of clothes of the same or similar material designed to be worn together, now usually (for men) a jacket with matching trousers or (for women) a jacket with matching or contrasting skirt or trousers
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(in combination) any outfit worn for a specific purpose
a spacesuit
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any set of items, such as the full complement of sails of a vessel or parts of personal armour
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any of the four sets of 13 cards in a pack of playing cards, being spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The cards in each suit are two to ten, jack, queen, and king in the usual order of ascending value, with ace counting as either the highest or lowest according to the game
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a civil proceeding; lawsuit
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the act or process of suing in a court of law
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a petition or appeal made to a person of superior rank or status or the act of making such a petition
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slang a business executive or white-collar manager
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a man's courting of a woman
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to play a card of the same suit as the card played immediately before it
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to act in the same way as someone else
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something that one excels in
verb
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to make or be fit or appropriate for
that dress suits you
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to meet the requirements or standards (of)
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to be agreeable or acceptable to (someone)
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to pursue one's own intentions without reference to others
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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suitsimple
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suitssimple
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have suitedperfect
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has suitedperfect
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am suitingprogressive
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are suitingprogressive
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is suitingprogressive
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have been suitingperfect progressive
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has been suitingperfect progressive
Past
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suitedsimple
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had suitedperfect
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was suitingprogressive
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were suitingprogressive
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had been suitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suit
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English siute, sute, suite (noun), from Anglo-French, Old French, akin to sivre (modern French, suivre ) “to follow”; see sue, suite
Explanation
Among many other meanings, a suit is a jacket and pants that match — formalwear for men. Suits are well-suited (appropriate) for some jobs and formal events, like a funeral. A suit is also short for a lawsuit — like when you file a suit against a doctor who removed the wrong kidney. A suit is also an appeal to someone who has something you want — like money or affection. In cards, the suits are hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. If a hat looks good on you, it suits you. In fact, you can say of just about anything you like, "That suits me." Like a well-fitting suit, when something suits you, you enjoy it and feel comfortable with it.
Vocabulary lists containing suit
Orbiting Jupiter
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Units 2–3
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"When Cultures Meet"
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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.
See Examples For:
Luckily, I had a suit and tie and showed up at the correct Washington Navy Yard gate plenty early.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The 27-page suit names the UC regents as defendants, along with physicians, nurses, clinical care partners and other officials who are identified as “Does 1-100.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
The individuals behind the suit, based in New York and Florida, include Brent Saunders, chief executive of eye-health company Bausch + Lomb.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Just inside the door, there was a flimsy mannequin with the face of a much younger, slimmer Trump, wearing a red “Trump 2028” hat, a dark suit, and a signature red tie.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
“I think a lot of things here are going to be different,” I said as I hurried to follow suit.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Bare and other opponents escalated their fight soon after, filing two suits to amend the ordinance and reverse the rezoning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
By keeping the action and themes largely Earthbound and removing the interstellar glamour associated with flying supes and suits, “Lanterns” reignites our consideration of a superhero long written off in the live-action realm.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
But hours after a lengthy list of celebrities were seen entering the venue in gowns and suits, large screens attached to the arena announced publicly that the famous couple were officially wed.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Its candidates wear things like suits printed with playing cards and steampunk-inflected top hats.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
Was he one of those old men with white hair like Jacques Cousteau who wore scuba suits well into their eighties?
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
Climate change has had some advantages for Germany's winegrowers over the years, allowing them to experiment with grape varieties better suited to warmer climes and making cultivation possible in new areas.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Different materials, including liquid resin and filaments, are suited for different jobs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Roberts said she will continue to search for a home suited to her disability needs, but recognised she has probably lived in the "best house" she will ever live in - on Queensway.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The ranch ended up being even better suited to them than they could have realized, according to Oates.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
I liked to learn of her: I saw the part of instructress pleased and suited her; that of scholar pleased and suited me no less.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
After first suiting up in 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, Evans' "Cap" became a lynchpin within the MCU's biggest box office successes.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
Our critic explained that “While ‘superfine’ is a tailor’s term for the best wool suiting fabric, in the context of this show it is also dandiacal black vernacular for ‘stylin’ out.’”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2025
Browne, the fashion designer known for his shrunken suiting, recently opened two new stores on the Upper East Side, joining other labels like Khaite, Toteme, Kallmeyer and Ulla Johnson, which all had flagships downtown first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
Cleared for contact Monday after wearing a non-contact jersey last week, Harris took another step toward suiting up for the season opener in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025
William’s bosses might be pleased to see his wife quit her job and park herself at home, but William couldn’t see that suiting Elizebeth herself.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
