plaintiff

[pleyn-tif]

noun

Law.

1. a person who brings suit in a court (defendant ).

plaintiff

/ ˈpleɪntɪf /

noun

1. Now replaced by: claimant. (formerly) a person who brings a civil action in a court of law Compare defendant

plaintiff

1. The party that institutes a suit in a court. The person or entity the plaintiff sues is the defendant.

Other Word Forms

• plaintiffship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of plaintiff¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plaintif “complaining person,” noun use of the adjective; plaintive

Word History and Origins

Origin of plaintiff¹

C14: from legal French plaintif, from Old French plaintif (adj) complaining, from plainte _plaint

Example Sentences

After being evaluated under bureau regulations, “none of our plaintiffs were designated for ADX,” he said.

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Still, Levine said, plaintiff lawyers’ could try to thread the needle by using a ‘dangerous condition’ exception.

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The plaintiffs are looking for the companies to pay for those costs.

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Myers’s case turned out to be a watershed event for aircrew in the U.S., recognized as the first time a court has ruled that fume exposure caused a plaintiff’s long-term health conditions.

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The county’s recent COVID-19 eviction moratorium was the subject of multiple lawsuits, including one that plaintiffs attempted to put before the Supreme Court.

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Related Words

• complainant 
• litigant 
• prosecutor