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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
  2. Slang a person wearing a suit; specif., a business executive or a bureaucrat: usually a term of mild derision
  3. 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
  4. Historical attendance at the court or manor of a feudal lord
  5. 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
  7. 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

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

business suit definition - business

idioms suit idiom

law suit definition - legal

telecom suit definition - telecom

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

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.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

suit Usage Examples

Object

  • taste: We offer all styles of filming to suit personal tastes.

Converse of object

  • wear: They wear suits, they own ties, they mean business.

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.

Modifies a noun

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

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.

Preposition: of

  • armor: However, crabs are very successful marine animals, so that unwieldy suit of armor, or exoskeleton, must have its advantages.
suit usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

suit quotes

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

-Anonymous

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

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

-Pepys, Samuel

suit quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"suit." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/suit>

APA Style

suit. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/suit

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