verb (used with object)
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)
4.
to institute legal proceedings, or bring suit: She threatened to sue.
5.
to make petition or appeal: to sue for peace.
6.
to court a woman.
00:10
Sue
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly. |
7.
sue out, to make application for or apply for and obtain (a writ or the like) from a court of law.
Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English suen, siwen < Old French sivre < Vulgar Latin *sequere to follow, for Latin sequī
1150–1200; Middle English suen, siwen < Old French sivre < Vulgar Latin *sequere to follow, for Latin sequī
Related forms
su·er, noun
un·sued, adjective
Synonyms
5. beg, petition, plead, pray.
5. beg, petition, plead, pray.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To Sue
Collins
World English Dictionary
sue (sjuː, suː) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb , sues, suing, sued | |
| 1. | to institute legal proceedings (against) |
| 2. | to make suppliant requests of (someone for something) |
| 3. | archaic to pay court (to) |
| [C13: via Anglo-Norman from Old French sivre, from Latin sequī to follow] | |
| 'suer | |
| —n | |
| Sue (French sy) | |
| —n | |
| 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 | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
sue
c.1200, "continue, persevere," from Anglo-Fr. suer "follow after, continue," from O.Fr. sivre, later suivre "pursue, follow after," from V.L. *sequere "follow," from L. sequi "follow" (see sequel). Sense of "start a lawsuit against" first recorded c.1300, on notion of "following
up" a matter in court. Sometimes aphetic for ensue or pursue.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
Sue definition
The system language used to write an operating system for the IBM 360. It is a cross between Pascal and XPL. It allows type checked separate compilation of internal procedures using a program library.
["The System Language for Project Sue", B.L. Clark e al, SIGPLAN Notices 6(9):79-88 (Oct 1971)].
(1994-12-01)
Example sentences
Minority shareholders are complaining about the potential dilution of their holdings, and some are threatening to sue.
And so yo know, she was compensated to not sue the chiropractor for malpractice.
He threatened to sue the theater and have the play stopped.
These buy up patents and then license them or sue for infringement, rather than using the patents themselves.
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