suitor
Americannoun
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suitors
plural
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a man who courts or woos a woman.
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Law. a petitioner or plaintiff.
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a person who sues or petitions for anything.
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Informal. an individual who seeks to buy a business.
noun
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a man who courts a woman; wooer
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law a person who brings a suit in a court of law; plaintiff
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rare a person who makes a request or appeal for anything
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of suitor
1250–1300; Middle English s ( e ) utor, suitour < Anglo-French < Latin secūtor, equivalent to secū-, variant stem of sequī to follow + -tor -tor
Explanation
A suitor is a guy who asks you out on a date. You can describe your sister's prom escort as her suitor. The noun suitor is an old fashioned word for a somewhat old fashioned kind of person: a man who woos or courts a woman. If a boy serenades you from below your bedroom window, he is your suitor, especially if he hopes to marry you one day. In the fourteenth century, a suitor was a fan or follower — the romantic meaning came along almost two hundred years later. The root is the Latin word sequi, "to attend or follow."
Vocabulary lists containing suitor
The Odyssey
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Much Ado About Nothing
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The Suffix -or, Part 1
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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:
While working his way back home, he’s forced to outsmart a vicious beast at close quarters, and he takes up residence with a suitor.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
It works splendidly for countless reasons, not the least of which is Neill’s presence as the charming suitor of Davis’ headstrong heroine.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
No-frills airline EasyJet says it has agreed in principle to a £5.7bn takeover proposal from US firm Apollo Management - just days after it had accepted an offer from a rival suitor.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
But the suitor was an AI deepfake, making her yet another victim of an online romance scam.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
After the last drop of spring water has been drunk, the young woman’s suitor is supposed to return to life.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
The show, which will launch next year, will follow the familiar format of love-seeking contestants choosing between three potential suitors who are hidden behind a wall.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Plain and cursed with spectacles, Mary’s on a speed train to spinsterhood when her relatives summon her to London, where suitors await.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
James did send his regrets to some of his other suitors, posting: "Thank you LA. Miami I'll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always be home!"
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
It’s hard to date in a world where everyone makes an image of themselves online that isn’t exactly true, and yet, that image remains the one doe-eyed suitors like Bear opine.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
By now, sullen confusion weighed upon the suitors.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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.
