sue

¹ American  

[soo] / su /

verb (used with object)

sued, suing

1. to institute a process in law against; bring a civil action against.

   to sue someone for damages.

2. to woo or court.

3. Obsolete. to make petition or appeal to.

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verb (used without object)

sued, suing

1. to institute legal proceedings, or bring suit.

   She threatened to sue.

2. to make petition or appeal.

   to sue for peace.

   Synonyms:

   pray, plead, petition, beg

3. to court a woman.

verb phrase

1. sue out to make application for or apply for and obtain (a writ or the like) from a court of law.

Sue ² American  

[soo, sy] / su, sü /

noun

1. Eugène Marie Joseph Sue, 1804–57, French novelist.

2. a female given name, form of Susan, Susanna, Susannah.

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sue ¹ British  

/ suː, sjuː /

verb

1. to institute legal proceedings (against)

2. to make suppliant requests of (someone for something)

3. archaic to pay court (to)

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Sue ² British  

/ sy /

noun

1. Eugène (øʒɛn). original name Marie-Joseph Sue. 1804–57, French novelist, whose works, notably Les mystères de Paris (1842–43) and Le juif errant (1844–45), were among the first to reflect the impact of the industrial revolution on France

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Other Word Forms

• suer noun
• unsued adjective

Etymology

Origin of sue

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English suen, siwen, from Old French sivre, from unattested Vulgar Latin sequere “to follow,” for Latin sequī

Example Sentences

And Disney along with other US entertainment outfits including Universal is suing MiniMax for copyright infringement.

From Barron's

Families in multiple states including Colorado, Florida, Texas and New York sued the companies.

From Los Angeles Times

Edge rusher Damon Wilson II responded to Georgia suing him for a ‘liquidated damage fee’ of $390,000 after he transferred to Missouri by filing a countersuit.

From Los Angeles Times

The families had sued the maker of the popular chatbot Character.AI and Google in states including Florida, Colorado, Texas and New York for hurting their children and negligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

A former Saks stylist accused of stealing thousands of dollars in fraudulent returns is suing the luxury retailer, alleging that Saks retaliated against him for getting a job offer from a rival department-store chain.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• accuse
• appeal
• charge
• claim
• file
• indict
• petition
• plead
• prosecute