Sue Meaning
/sjuː/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action.
verbTo seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead.
Sentence Examples
If Sue is coming by air, she ought to arrive very soon.
Tom and Sue love each other.
They threatened to sue if the work was not completed.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After months of unpaid wages, the worker decided to ____ the company for not paying her.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The woman decided to ____ the company after she was injured by a faulty product that she had bought today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
After months of unpaid wages, the worker decided to ____ the company for not paying her.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The woman decided to ____ the company after she was injured by a faulty product that she had bought today.