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

He has told associates the split is a better long-term bet for shareholders because there will be many suitors for its studio and streaming assets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some people define others by their credit score, and even put their score on their dating profiles and/or ask their potential suitors to reveal their scores.

Read more on MarketWatch

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 The 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

Related Words

• admirer 
• beau 
• boyfriend 
• lover 
• paramour