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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
Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 14 July 2025
The plaintiffs include 20 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), two school districts and other unions.
—Cory Turner, NPR, 14 July 2025
The case was filed in federal court in Rhode Island, and 24 states and Washington, D.C., are the plaintiffs.
—Stacey Barchenger, AZCentral.com, 14 July 2025
The organization representing the plaintiffs suing the state over its policies, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), previously provided a statement from one of the female players about her experience facing the trans athlete.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 12 July 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 18 Jul. 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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