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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 Groth, Journal Sentinel, 20 June 2024
And a number of plaintiffs, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, and individual firms, are suing to block the F.T.C.’s ban on noncompete agreements.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 24 June 2024
This past Thursday, attorneys for the plaintiffs filed a supplemental notice of fact in support of their motion for a preliminary injunction and referred to Swanson's TV interview.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024
In a 5-4 decision, the court decided in favor of the plaintiffs that a Kentucky law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools was a violation of the First Amendment; its purpose was religious and not educational.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for plaintiff 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plaintiff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near plaintiff
Cite this Entry
“Plaintiff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaintiff. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
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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