sue

sue Definition

sue (so̵̅o̅)

transitive verb sued, su′·ing

to appeal to; petition; beseech
Archaic to be a suitor of; woo
Law
1. to petition (a court) for legal redress
2. to bring civil action against or prosecute in a court of law in seeking justice or redress of wrongs
3. to carry (an action) through to its final decision

Etymology: ME suen < OFr sivre, suir < VL *sequere, for L sequi, to follow: see sequent

intransitive verb

sue Related Forms

su′er noun

sue Idioms

sue out

to apply for and receive from a court (a writ or other legal process)

sue Synonyms

To institute legal proceedings
prosecute, litigate, claim, file suit, bring suit, contest, accuse, claim damages, seek legal redress, file a claim, prefer a claim, take one to court, go to law, bring action against, enter a lawsuit, file a plea, enter a plea, haul into court, law*; see also accuse.
To make an appeal
petition, entreat, solicit, demand; see appeal 1. See syn. study at appeal.

sue Usage Examples

Object

downloaders: Word is the MPAA are in the process of suing 200 suspected movie downloaders.
xx: Sue xx little pickers have bigger knickers, and I know!
defendant: She had sued defendants responsible for all his exposure.
mod: No matter where in the world the accident occurs you are generally able to sue the MOD in this country.
seller: Breach of contract â suing the seller The most straightforward cause of action in a share sale dispute will always be breach of contract.
s: Council meetings also provide an opportunity for County Associations to raise particular is sue s for discussion.

Modifying Another Word

successfully: Assisted by UNISON, she then successfully sued the Council; in a legal first, the Council accepted liability.
personally: Partners can sue and be sued personally as well as in the name of the partnership.
subsequently: The sale was canceled while Mr Sidebottom was queuing and he subsequently sued for breach of contract.

Followed by an intransitive particle

over: Melanie Bien hears both views Questions of Cash: Can we sue over our endowment shortfall?

Followed by a transitive particle

over: He has threatened to sue over the allegations, which were broadcast on local television.

Preposition: in

court: Defendant = A person accused or sued in a court of law.
respect: Bandung challenged BNP's title to sue in respect of the switched bills and the Batam bills.

Preposition: for

libel: Return to Index: Notes on some of the lies: David Irving was never sued for libel over his book Accident.
infringement: Google the world's most infamous internet search engine is being sued for patent infringement.
negligence: The only person she could sue for negligence was David Stevenson.
dismissal: Elizabeth sued for wrongful dismissal and received a payoff thought to be around £ 3,000.
breach: Primarily, of course, it protects one from being sued for breach of contract by a client.
compensation: I'm very glad, because I think that suing for compensation is getting stupidly out of hand lately.

Preposition: by

employe: Sir John Gell had been smelting earlier than 1633, when he was sued by a former employe.

Browse dictionary entries near sue