sue

Verb

sue (third-person singular simple present sues, present participle suing, simple past and past participle sued)

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.

   Synonyms:

   implead

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. (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...
   • 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

Proper noun capitalized: Sue

IPA/suː/

Sue (plural Sues)

1. A diminutive of the female given name Susan and of related female given names; popular as a middle name.
   • For the last decade at least, the trend seems to be that more untraditional names are being chosen over the Bobs, the Toms, the Sues and the Marys.2009 April 25, “Meet Number 16 Bus Shelter”, in Austin Daily Herald, archived from the original on 20 Jul 2025

Noun capitalized: Sue

IPA/suː/

Sue (plural Sues)

1. (informal) Synonym of Mary Sue (“type of character in fiction”).

   Synonyms:

   Mary Sue