Did you know?
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
Lauren Victory, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
The quarterback’s lawsuit has since added 26 other plaintiffs, including Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joey Aguilar.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025
In court documents made public last week and filed the day before the trial began, the plaintiffs accused Joseph Schmidt, a former Market Basket executive who worked under Demoulas, of not complying with a subpoena.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
Rodriguez’s suit follows one in June that accused Perry of using his position to pursue plaintiff Derek Dixon and touch him inappropriately in exchange for career opportunities.
—Erick Mendoza, NBC news, 30 Dec. 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 2 Jan. 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
Share