sue

¹

[soo]

verb (used with object)

sued, suing 

1. to institute a process in law against; bring a civil action against.

   to sue someone for damages.

2. to woo or court.

3. Obsolete.,  to make petition or appeal to.

verb (used without object)

sued, suing 

1. to institute legal proceedings, or bring suit.

   She threatened to sue.

2. to make petition or appeal.

   to sue for peace.

   Synonyms: pray, plead, petition, beg

3. to court a woman.

verb phrase

1. sue out,  to make application for or apply for and obtain (a writ or the like) from a court of law.

Sue

²

[soo, sy]

noun

1. Eugène Marie Joseph Sue, 1804–57, French novelist.

2. a female given name, form of Susan, Susanna, Susannah.

sue

¹

/ suː, sjuː /

verb

1. to institute legal proceedings (against)

2. to make suppliant requests of (someone for something)

3. archaic,  to pay court (to)

Sue

²

/ sy /

noun

1. Eugène (øʒɛn). original name Marie-Joseph Sue. 1804–57, French novelist, whose works, notably Les mystères de Paris (1842–43) and Le juif errant (1844–45), were among the first to reflect the impact of the industrial revolution on France

Other Word Forms

• suer noun
• unsued adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sue¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English suen, siwen, from Old French sivre, from unattested Vulgar Latin sequere “to follow,” for Latin sequī

Word History and Origins

Origin of sue¹

C13: via Anglo-Norman from Old French sivre, from Latin sequī to follow

Example Sentences

Walt Disney Co. and Universal Pictures have sued AI company Midjourney, which the studios allege trained its image generation models on their copyrighted materials.

From Los Angeles Times

“Newsmax cannot sue their way out of their own competitive failures in the marketplace to chase headlines simply because they can’t attract viewers,” the company said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

Last fall, the state sued the southeastern Los Angeles County community alleging that Norwalk’s policy violated anti-discrimination, fair housing and numerous other state laws.

From Los Angeles Times

Now the residents are suing the Olive Dell owners, contending that they are being forced out.

From Los Angeles Times

A US lawyer with the same name as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is suing the social media platform, arguing it keeps suspending his account while falsely accusing him of "impersonating a celebrity".

From BBC

Related Words

• accuse 
• appeal 
• charge 
• claim 
• file 
• indict 
• petition 
• plead 
• prosecute