complainant
Americannoun
-
complainants
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of complainant
1375–1425; late Middle English < Anglo-French compleignant (present participle of compleindre ). See complain, -ant
Explanation
In law, the person who accuses someone else of wrongdoing is sometimes called the complainant. You are the complainant if you sue your neighbor for building a chicken coop on your property. Although there are some technical differences in the way legal experts use the terms, a complainant is essentially the same as a plaintiff. They're both ways to refer to an accuser, or someone bringing an official grievance against someone else. Since the 15th century, complainant has been used to mean "one who makes a formal complaint in court, " from complain.
Vocabulary lists containing complainant
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:
The complainant recalled him saying it might end badly for her, but that she had not felt frightened of him.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
McDonald would not go into further detail about the standard not being met or why, but said his office has been in regular communication with the complainant throughout the process.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Police Ombudsman's director of investigations said "police failed the complainant"
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
They also failed to provide adequate updates to the complainant about progress on the case, the Ombudsman said.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
“No,” he said, “we have attempted to interview the so-called complainant and he denies that he was ever assaulted.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Many complainants argued the imagery was distressing for both children and adults.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
He will now face another court hearing on July 29-30, which could see him and the six other complainants ordered to pay substantial legal costs.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
He added that lifelong anonymity was given to complainants in sexual offence cases and "great attention must be taken" to make sure this was not undermined or victims were not discouraged from coming forward.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
It said that it would help the 18 complainants to get debt relief within existing mechanisms under Cambodian law.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
He summoned the Director and Jim with several other of the Project engineers, Arthur Freet among them, to appear before him, with the complainants.
From Still Jim by Honoré Morrow
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.
