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We won't complain about the origins of plaintiff, although complain and plaintiff are distantly related; both can be traced back to plangere, a Latin word meaning "to strike, beat one's breast, or lament." Plaintiff comes most immediately from Middle English plaintif, itself an Anglo-French borrowing tracing back to plaint, meaning "lamentation." (The English word plaintive is also related.) Logically enough, plaintiff applies to the one who does the complaining in a legal case.
Examples of plaintiff in a Sentence
Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2025
This usually results in a judge entering a default judgment for damages in favor of the plaintiffs.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Coming after a trial with one of the plaintiffs, Pamela Knobbe of Gurnee, ended in a mistrial in Cook County Circuit Court, the case was resolved, according to a news release from STERIS, court filings with the First District Illinois Appellate Court in Chicago, and the SEC filing.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
The plaintiffs in that case have since filed three motions for contempt of court against the city for allegedly violating court orders in failing to fix the problems.
—Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plaintiff
noun
Legal Definition
plaintiff
noun
Middle French plaintif, from plaintif, adj., grieving, from plaint lamentation, from Latin planctus, from plangere to strike, beat one's breast, lament
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