plaintiff
Americannoun
-
plaintiffs
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing plaintiff
Twelve Days in May
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A Tale of Two Cities
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Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
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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:
She is not just part of the five person prosecution team, she is also a plaintiff in this case.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
No plaintiff signed them, and the settlement itself provides that it may be modified only by written agreement of the parties.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
The painter sued him for libel in a case that proved a Pyrrhic victory, leaving the plaintiff bankrupt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Bonta and other plaintiff states argued the consolidation would lead to local newsrooms shuttering, particularly in smaller markets, such as Sacramento and Indianapolis, where Nexstar would own multiple network affiliates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Donte, can I make you lead plaintiff? Can I do that?”
From "Black Brother, Black Brother" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
In her ruling, she described it as a "Hail Mary" effort to "eliminate a strong witness" for the plaintiffs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
The aggressive maneuver came in a motion that argued the plaintiffs should be held financially responsible for monetary damages Paramount suffers during litigation that attempts to block the $81 billion deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Ballmer and other defendants are accused of fraud and aiding and abetting fraud, with the plaintiffs seeking at least $50 million in damages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Lawyers for the plaintiffs filed a motion for the injunction to block the Department of Homeland Security’s alleged mass warrantless arrest policy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Charles Langford, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, was deeply impressed by her presentation.
From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose
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.
