suitor

[soo-ter]

noun

1. a man who courts or woos a woman.

2. Law.,  a petitioner or plaintiff.

3. a person who sues or petitions for anything.

4. Informal.,  an individual who seeks to buy a business.

suitor

/ ˈsuːtə, ˈsjuːt- /

noun

1. a man who courts a woman; wooer

2. law a person who brings a suit in a court of law; plaintiff

3. rare,  a person who makes a request or appeal for anything

Word History and Origins

Origin of suitor¹

1250–1300; Middle English s ( e ) utor, suitour < Anglo-French < Latin secūtor, equivalent to secū-, variant stem of sequī to follow + -tor -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of suitor¹

C13: from Anglo-Norman suter, from Latin secūtor follower, from sequī to follow

Example Sentences

OxyChem has had a number of suitors over the years, including asset manager Apollo Global Management, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

She collected some of the most fascinating information on the latter by watching Flo, an older female with a bulbous nose and an amazing retinue of suitors who was bearing children well into her 40s.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He particularly enjoyed a morality tale about two sisters – one beautiful but "vain and severe", who lost a suitor to her plain, but more agreeable, sibling.

Read more on BBC

When the Clippers landed Leonard in 2019, the NBA was stunned: In a matter of hours, the Clippers had traded for Paul George and signed Leonard, outmaneuvering the Lakers and other suitors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But Major League Baseball was bound to have other suitors open their safes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• admirer 
• beau 
• boyfriend 
• lover 
• paramour