Dictionary

sue en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /sjuː/
• /ʃuː/ yod-coalescence, rare
• (US) audio
• /sɪu̯/ (Wales)
• /suː/ yod-dropping

Etymology

From Middle English seuen, sewen, siwen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman suer, siwer et al. and Old French sivre (“to follow after”) (modern French suivre), from Vulgar Latin *sequere (“to follow”), from Latin sequi. Cognate with Italian seguire and Spanish seguir. Doublet of segue. Related to suit.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action.
   • sue someone for selling a faulty product
   • I plan to sue you for everything you have.
   • He was sued by the late Geo. Walpole Leake for slander, and after two trials, occupying eight days, he was mulcted in heavy damages and costs. 1897, Warren Bert Kimberly, “W. Horgan”, in History of West Australia:
2. (ambitransitive) To seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead.
   • The king of Bimsa sued for peace after Nynal's armies overran his territory; he knew any further resistance would only harm the common people.
3. (of a hawk, transitive) To clean (the beak, etc.).
4. (transitive) To leave high and dry on shore.
   • to sue a ship
5. (obsolete, transitive) To court.
6. (obsolete, transitive) To follow.
   • And the olde knyght seyde unto the yonge knyght, ‘Sir, swith me.’ 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum iv”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book XIII, [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC:
   • though oft looking backward, well she vewd, / Her selfe freed from that foster insolent, / And that it was a knight, which now her sewd, / Yet she no lesse the knight feard, then that villein rude. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

sueable · countersue · sue me · nonsuing · suability · suingly · sue for peace · sue out · unsued · sue one's livery · resue

Relateds

fig-sue

Synonyms

implead

Translations (73)

it fare causa (to file a legal action) · az məhkəməyə vermək (to file a legal action) · ru подава́ть в суд (to file a legal action) · fr poursuivre en justice (to file a legal action) · ka უჩივლა (to file a legal action) · vi thưa kiện (to file a legal action) · nl aanklagen (to file a legal action) · mww foob (to file a legal action) · ru суди́ться (to file a legal action) · is lögsækja (to file a legal action) · ka ჩივილი (to file a legal action) · lld dé sëura (to file a legal action) · th ฟ้องร้อง (to file a legal action) · he תבע (to file a legal action) · sq padit (to file a legal action) · tr mahkemeye vermek (to file a legal action) · tl idemanda (to file a legal action) · lo ຟ້ອງ (to file a legal action) · pt demandar (to file a legal action) · th ฟ้อง (to file a legal action) · pt processar (to file a legal action) · sv stämma (to file a legal action) · cmn 起訴 /起诉 (to file a legal action) · nb saksøke (to file a legal action) · sv lagföra (to file a legal action) · ro da în judecată (to file a legal action) · la lītigō (to file a legal action) · nn saksøkja (to file a legal action) · vi kiện (to file a legal action) · sl tožiti (to file a legal action) · tl maghabla (to file a legal action) · fi nostaa kanne (to file a legal action) · hu beperel (to file a legal action) · bg завеждам дело (to file a legal action) · es querellarse (to file a legal action) · ru предъявля́ть иск (to file a legal action) · ru preslédovatʹ v sudébnom porjádke (to file a legal action) · es pleitear (to file a legal action) · da stævne (to file a legal action) · tl hablahin (to file a legal action) · fo lógsøkja (to file a legal action) · it citare in giudizio (to file a legal action) · nn saksøkje (to file a legal action) · hu perel (to file a legal action) · id menuntut (to file a legal action) · ar قَاضَى (to file a legal action) · de verklagen (to file a legal action) · pl pozwać (to file a legal action) · nn saksøke (to file a legal action) · eo persekuti (to file a legal action) · hu perbe fog (to file a legal action) · es demandar (to file a legal action) · fr intenter un procès à (to file a legal action) · da sagsøge (to file a legal action) · pl pozywać (to file a legal action) · ga agair (to file a legal action) · km ប្ដឹង (to file a legal action) · da lægge sag an (to file a legal action) · bo ཁྲིམས་ལ་བསྐྱལ (to file a legal action) · gd tagair (to file a legal action) · tpi kotim (to file a legal action) · de klagen (to file a legal action) · km ផ្ដៀង (to file a legal action) · la lītem inferō (to file a legal action) · nn saksøka (to file a legal action) · my တရားစွဲ (to file a legal action) · ko 고소하다 (to file a legal action) · cs žalovat (to file a legal action) · tl magdemanda (to file a legal action) · fi haastaa oikeuteen (to file a legal action) · fo saksøkja (to file a legal action) · el μηνύω (to file a legal action) · ja 訴える (to file a legal action)