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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
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
6 July 2026
FuboTV plaintiffs have not settled with Disney, so their part of the lawsuit remains ongoing.
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Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
4 July 2026
The plaintiffs say the company's historic emissions made the disaster worse and are seeking compensation for deaths and damages.
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ABC News,
3 July 2026
In April, after another trial, a jury in Chicago ordered Abbott to pay four plaintiffs a total of $70 million.
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David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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
