suit Hear it!

suit Definition

suit (so̵̅o̅t)

noun

    1. a set of clothes to be worn together; now, esp., a coat and trousers (or skirt), and sometimes a vest, usually all of the same material
    2. any complete outfit a suit of armor
  1. Slang a person wearing a suit; specif., a business executive or a bureaucrat: usually a term of mild derision
  2. a group of similar things forming a set or series; specif., any of the four sets of thirteen playing cards each (spades, clubs, hearts, and diamonds) that together make up a pack
  3. Historical attendance at the court or manor of a feudal lord
  4. action to secure justice in a court of law; attempt to recover a right or claim through legal action
    1. an act of suing, pleading, or requesting
    2. a petition
  5. the act of wooing; courtship

Etymology: ME sute, a pursuit, action of suing, garb, set of garments, sequence < OFr suite < VL *sequita, fem. pp. of sequere, to follow < L sequi, to follow: see sequent

transitive verb

  1. to meet the requirements of; be right for or appropriate to; befit
  2. to make right or appropriate; fit; adapt
  3. to please; satisfy anything that suits your fancy
  4. to furnish with clothes, esp. with a suit

intransitive verb

  1. Archaic to correspond or harmonize: usually with to or with
  2. to be fit, suitable, convenient, or satisfactory

suit Idioms

bring suit

to institute legal action; sue

follow suit

  1. to play a card of the same suit as the card led
  2. to follow the example set

someone's strong suit

or someone's strongest suit

a person's greatest talent, most conspicuous character trait, etc. patience is my strong suit

suit oneself

to act according to one's own wishes

suit up

to put on an athletic uniform, spacesuit, etc. in preparation for a particular activity

suit Synonyms

suit

n.

  1. A series

    suite, set, group; see series.

  2. A case at law

    lawsuit, action, litigation; see trial 2.

  3. Clothes to be worn together

    costume, ensemble, outfit, livery, uniform; see also clothes.

    Kinds of suits include: business suit, three-piece suit, dress suit, sport suit, bathing suit, jump suit, body suit, sweat suit, running suit; women: tailored suit, cocktail suit, pant suit, cardigan suit, evening suit, sun suit, play suit; men: leisure suit, full dress, tails*, monkey suit*, soup and fish*, dinner jacket, tuxedo, tux*, zoot suit, morning dress; children: snow suit, sun suit, play suit, Eton suit.

bring suit

prosecute, start legal proceedings, initiate a case; see sue.

follow suit*

accord with, regulate one's actions by, take a cue from*; see follow 2, imitate 2.

suit Synonyms

suit

v.

  1. To be in accord with

    befit, be agreeable, be appropriate to; see agree, agree with 2.

  2. To please

    amuse, fill, gratify; see entertain 1, satisfy 1.

  3. To adapt

    accommodate, revise, readjust; see change 1.

suit Law Definition

n

Any proceeding brought by one or more parties against another one or more parties in a court of law. See also action and litigation.
class suit
See action.
suit Telecom Definition
A mildly derisive term for an anonymous business executive or bureaucrat, referring to the fact that such people typically wear suits of clothes and may lack individuality. A suit, especially an empty suit, is in sharp contrast to a techie. See also empty suit and techie.
suit Usage Examples

Object

  • taste: We offer all styles of filming to suit personal tastes.
  • budget: Websites designed to suit all budgets - visit my site today to see examples of sites I've done for business like yours.
  • pocket: The development will include houses and a range of apartments from loft style to studios to suit all pockets.

Converse of object

  • wear: They wear suits, they own ties, they mean business.
  • pend: On 7 July 2004 District Judge Maple made an award of maintenance pending suit in the annual amount of £ 205,000.

Preposition: against

  • loto-quebec: Suit against loto-quebec in whom they port allen saw.

Adjective modifier

  • wet: Putting the suit on is harder work than the actual session as it is like a wet suit.
  • three-piece: Three-piece gray suits, worn with gray top hats are popular for weddings.
  • smart: Cursing Missy Midriff, I rushed home and changed into a smart, crisp suit with matching telephone voice.
  • dry: Dry suits or 8 mm semi - dry suits are recommended.
  • gray: In the Fifth Form a gray suit may be worn instead.

Modifies a noun

  • everyones: With a high standard of cuisine in our Llewelyn restaurant with our wide range of menus to suit everyones taste.
  • everyone: They offer a range of services to suit everyone.

Noun used with modifier

  • libel: Online Archives When a libel suit is won by a claimant it is not essential to take defamatory material offline.
  • boiler: The Gills report this worked for a while, and Balfour Beatty complied and had white boiler suits for their staff.
  • tweed: For many months afterward I expected her to come into Mother's living room, smiling and wearing her white Irish tweed suit.
  • pinstripe: Every morning, he dons his pinstripe suit and bowler hat and sets off to catch the train to work.
  • trump: Throughout the history of card games people have always tended to attach a personal name to the Knave of the best or trump suit.
  • malpractice: Will they be there supporting you in the court room during your malpractice suit?

Preposition: of

  • armor: However, crabs are very successful marine animals, so that unwieldy suit of armor, or exoskeleton, must have its advantages.
suit Quotes

A silk suit, which cost memuchmoney, and Ipray God to make me able to pay for it.

—Pepys, Samuel

Since no normal humble man can help but feel magnificent in a brand-new suit of clothes, it is not surprising that those who don a fresh suit of bright white linen every day should feel magnificent always. Nor is it surprising that a normal humble head should swell beneath a solar topee, since a topee is more a badge of authority than a hat, as is the hat of a soldier.

—Herbert, Xavier

Once they heard someone call for 'Snooks'.'I always thought that name was invented by novelists,'said Miss Winchelsea.'Fancy! Snooks. I wonder which is Mr. Snooks?' Finally they picked out a stout and resolute little man in a large check suit.'If he isn't Snooks, he ought to be,'said Miss Winchelsea.

—Wells, H(erbert) G(eorge)

He looks like a homeless man in a thousand dollar suit.

—Anonymous