suite

American  

[sweet, soot] / swit, sut /

noun

1. a number of things forming a series or set.

2. a connected series of rooms to be used together.

   a hotel suite.

3. a set of furniture, especially a set comprising the basic furniture necessary for one room.

   a bedroom suite.

4. a company of followers or attendants; a train or retinue.

5. Music.

   1. an ordered series of instrumental dances, in the same or related keys, commonly preceded by a prelude.

   2. an ordered series of instrumental movements of any character.

6. Computers. a group of software programs sold as a unit and usually designed to work together.

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suite British  

/ swiːt /

noun

1. a series of items intended to be used together; set

2. a number of connected rooms in a hotel forming one living unit

   the presidential suite

3. a matching set of furniture, esp of two armchairs and a settee

4. a number of attendants or followers

5. music

   1. an instrumental composition consisting of several movements in the same key based on or derived from dance rhythms, esp in the baroque period

   2. an instrumental composition in several movements less closely connected than a sonata

   3. a piece of music containing movements based on or extracted from music already used in an opera, ballet, play, etc

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suite Cultural  

1. A group of related pieces of music or movements played in sequence. In the baroque era, a suite was a succession of different kinds of dances. In more recent times, suites have contained excerpts from longer works, such as ballets, or have simply portrayed a scene, as in Ferde Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite.

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Etymology

Origin of suite

1665–75; < French, apparently metathetic variant of Old French siute ( see suit); akin to sue, suitor

Explanation

A suite (sounds like "sweet") is a collection of matching things. It usually refers to rooms together, like when you get a suite at a fancy hotel. It can also be a set of furniture or a musical composition. In housing terms, a suite is an apartment made up of connected rooms. If you ever stay at a hostel in France, make sure you get a room with the bathroom en suite, so you don’t have to share the one in the hallway. When the word first came into use, it meant "train of followers of attendants," but don't call your friends your suite or they'll think you're a snob.

Example Sentences

Rollins found a new purpose to music with "Freedom Suite," his 1958 work that spoke to the rising struggle of African Americans for equal rights.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

A round-trip flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite for early June was priced at approximately $10,000 on Monday, according to the carrier’s website.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

Additionally, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” star Dylan Sprouse encountered a trespasser at his Hollywood Hills home Friday.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026

On special days, Maddie and her husband Michael often go to the baby loss garden at Broomfield Hospital, where they spent time with Teddy in the Blossom Suite, supported by bereavement midwives.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

Smith took the horse straight down the shed rows, pulled him up at the Kaiser Suite, and evicted Kayak.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• apartment
• collection
• lodging
• rental