sue

UK: 'Sue': French: /sy/; 'sue': /ˈsuː/, /ˈsjuː/

US: /su/

US: (so̅o̅)

Inflections of 'sue' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

sues

v 3rd person singular

suing

v pres p

sued

v past

sued

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

sue /su/   v., sued, su•ing. 

1. Law to bring legal action against;
   bring a lawsuit in court: [~ + object]
   to sue someone for damages.
   [no object]
   threatened to sue if an accident happened.
2. to make a request, petition, or appeal for:
   [no object] The defeated army decided to sue for peace.

See -seq-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sue (so̅o̅),  v., sued, su•ing. 

v.t. 

1. Law to institute a process in law against;
   bring a civil action against:
   to sue someone for damages.
2. to woo or court.
3. [Obs.] to make petition or appeal to.

v.i. 

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

• Vulgar Latin *sequere to follow, for Latin sequī
• Old French sivre
• Middle English suen, siwen 1150–1200

su′er, n. 
Synonyms

• 5. beg, petition, plead, pray.

Sue (so̅o̅;
Fr. sy), n. 

Eu•gène  (œ zhen′), (Marie Joseph Sue), 1804–57, French novelist.
1. a female given name, form of Susan, Susanna, Susannah. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sue / sjuː suː/ verb (sues, suing, sued)

1. to institute legal proceedings (against)
2. to make suppliant requests of (someone for something)

Etymology: 13th Century: via Anglo-Norman from Old French sivre, from Latin sequī to follow

ˈsuer noun

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Sue / 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