What does plaintiff mean?

Definitions for plaintiff
ˈpleɪn tɪfplain·tiff

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word plaintiff.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. plaintiff, complainantnoun

    a person who brings an action in a court of law

Wiktionary

  1. plaintiffnoun

    A party bringing a suit in civil law against a defendant; accusers.

  2. Etymology: From plaintif, from plaintif from the verb plaindre. See plaintive.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Plaintiffadjective

    Complaining. A word not in use.

    Etymology: plaintif, Fr.

    His younger son on the polluted ground,
    First fruit of death, lies plaintiff of a wound
    Giv’n by a brother’s hand. Matthew Prior.

  2. Plaintiffnoun

    He that commences a suit in law against another; opposed to the defendant.

    Etymology: plaintif, Fr.

    The plaintiff proved the debt by three positive witnesses, and the defendant was cast in costs and damages. Roger L'Estrange.

    You and I shall talk in cold friendship at a bar before a judge, by way of plaintiff and defendant. Dryden.

    In such a cause the plaintiff will be hiss’d,
    My lord, the judges laugh, and you’re dismiss’d. Alexander Pope.

Wikipedia

  1. Plaintiff

    A plaintiff (Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an action) before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy; if this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the plaintiff and make the appropriate court order (e.g., an order for damages). "Plaintiff" is the term used in civil cases in most English-speaking jurisdictions, the notable exception being England and Wales, where a plaintiff has, since the introduction of the Civil Procedure Rules in 1999, been known as a "claimant", but that term also has other meanings. In criminal cases, the prosecutor brings the case against the defendant, but the key complaining party is often called the "complainant". In some jurisdictions, a lawsuit is commenced by filing a summons, claim form or a complaint. These documents are known as pleadings, that set forth the alleged wrongs committed by the defendant or defendants with a demand for relief. In other jurisdictions, the action is commenced by service of legal process by delivery of these documents on the defendant by a process server; they are only filed with the court subsequently with an affidavit from the process server that they had been given to the defendant according to the rules of civil procedure.

ChatGPT

  1. plaintiff

    A plaintiff is a person or a party who brings a legal lawsuit or case against another in a court of law. They are the accusing party, alleging that they have incurred damages from the defendant's actions or inactions, and typically seek restitution or other remedies.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Plaintiffnoun

    one who commences a personal action or suit to obtain a remedy for an injury to his rights; -- opposed to defendant

  2. Plaintiffadjective

    see Plaintive

  3. Etymology: [F. plaintif making complaint, plaintive; in Old French equiv. to plaignant complainant, prosecutor, fr. plaindre. See Plaint, and cf. Plaintive.]

Wikidata

  1. Plaintiff

    A plaintiff, also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court. In other words, someone who tries to sue. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy, and if successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the plaintiff and make the appropriate court order. In some jurisdictions the commencement of a lawsuit is done by filing a summons, claim form and/or a complaint. These documents are known as pleadings, that set forth the alleged wrongs committed by the defendant or defendants with a demand for relief. In other jurisdictions the action is commenced by service of legal process by delivery of these documents on the defendant by a process server; they are only filed with the court subsequently with an affidavit from the process server that they had been given to the defendant according to the rules of civil procedure. Not all lawsuits are plenary actions, involving a full trial on the merits of the case. There are also simplified procedures, often called proceedings, in which the parties are termed petitioner instead of plaintiff, and respondent instead of defendant. There are also cases that do not technically involve two sides, such as petitions for specific statutory relief that require judicial approval; in those cases there are no respondents, just a petitioner.

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British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'plaintiff' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3392

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'plaintiff' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2764

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'plaintiff' in Nouns Frequency: #1141

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce plaintiff?

How to say plaintiff in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of plaintiff in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of plaintiff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of plaintiff in a Sentence

  1. Scott Burris:

    If it was a case where someone was well known to have a rich sex life, there would be an argument that (the plaintiff) too was negligent in not insisting upon protection, or that they had assumed the risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

  2. Moez Kaba:

    No one disputes that the plaintiff's situation was unfortunate.

  3. Yar Chaikovsky:

    The calculation of damages needs reform in patent law. We need some method of damages apportionment similar to what is making its way through Congress. As most of the companies I represent are in the high tech arena, the market capture rule, especially in cases where the plaintiff solely seeks a reasonable royalty, is problematic."

  4. Los Angeles:

    Plaintiff's fear is also not reasonable.

  5. Master Sanderson:

    This structure does not guarantee the plaintiff A$3 million. There is a real prospect she might get nothing.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

plaintiff#1#8073#10000

Translations for plaintiff

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"plaintiff." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 9 Mar. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/plaintiff>.

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    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    A usurious
    B tenebrous
    C bristly
    D lank

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