suit
Americannoun
-
suits
plural
-
a set of clothing, armor, or the like, intended for wear together.
-
a set of men's garments of the same color and fabric, consisting of trousers, a jacket, and sometimes a vest.
-
a similarly matched set consisting of a skirt and jacket, and sometimes a topcoat or blouse, worn by women.
-
any costume worn for some special activity.
a running suit.
-
Slang. Often suits an executive, manager, or official, especially one regarded as a faceless decision maker.
-
Law. the act, the process, or an instance of suing in a court of law; legal prosecution; lawsuit.
-
Cards.
-
one of the four sets or classes (spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs) into which a common deck of playing cards is divided.
-
the aggregate of cards belonging to one of these sets held in a player's hand at one time.
Spades were his long suit.
-
one of various sets or classes into which less common decks of cards are divided, as lances, hammers, etc., found in certain decks formerly used or used in fortune telling.
-
-
the wooing or courting of a woman.
She rejected his suit.
-
the act of making a petition or an appeal.
-
a petition, as to a person of rank or station.
-
Also called set. Nautical. a complete group of sails for a boat.
-
one of the seven classes into which a standard set of 28 dominoes may be divided by matching the numbers on half the face of each: a three suit contains the 3-blank, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 3-5, and 3-6. Since each such suit contains one of each of the other possible suits, only one complete suit is available per game.
verb (used with object)
-
suits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
suited,
past participle, past
-
suiting
present participle
-
to make appropriate, adapt, or accommodate, as one thing to another.
to suit the punishment to the crime.
-
to be appropriate or becoming to.
Blue suits you very well.
-
to be or prove satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable to; satisfy or please.
The arrangements suit me.
-
to provide with a suit, as of clothing or armor; clothe; array.
verb (used without object)
-
suits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
suited,
past participle, past
-
suiting
present participle
-
to be appropriate or suitable; accord.
-
to be satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable.
verb phrase
idioms
-
follow suit,
-
Cards. to play a card of the same suit as that led.
-
to follow the example of another.
The girl jumped over the fence, and her playmates followed suit.
-
-
suit oneself, to do what one wants to do or what is best for oneself, without regard for others (often used imperatively).
I don’t agree with you, but okay, suit yourself.
noun
-
any set of clothes of the same or similar material designed to be worn together, now usually (for men) a jacket with matching trousers or (for women) a jacket with matching or contrasting skirt or trousers
-
(in combination) any outfit worn for a specific purpose
a spacesuit
-
any set of items, such as the full complement of sails of a vessel or parts of personal armour
-
any of the four sets of 13 cards in a pack of playing cards, being spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The cards in each suit are two to ten, jack, queen, and king in the usual order of ascending value, with ace counting as either the highest or lowest according to the game
-
a civil proceeding; lawsuit
-
the act or process of suing in a court of law
-
a petition or appeal made to a person of superior rank or status or the act of making such a petition
-
slang a business executive or white-collar manager
-
a man's courting of a woman
-
-
to play a card of the same suit as the card played immediately before it
-
to act in the same way as someone else
-
-
something that one excels in
verb
-
to make or be fit or appropriate for
that dress suits you
-
to meet the requirements or standards (of)
-
to be agreeable or acceptable to (someone)
-
to pursue one's own intentions without reference to others
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
suitsimple
-
suitssimple
-
have suitedperfect
-
has suitedperfect
-
am suitingprogressive
-
are suitingprogressive
-
is suitingprogressive
-
have been suitingperfect progressive
-
has been suitingperfect progressive
Past
-
suitedsimple
-
had suitedperfect
-
was suitingprogressive
-
were suitingprogressive
-
had been suitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of suit
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English siute, sute, suite (noun), from Anglo-French, Old French, akin to sivre (modern French, suivre ) “to follow”; see sue, suite
Explanation
Among many other meanings, a suit is a jacket and pants that match — formalwear for men. Suits are well-suited (appropriate) for some jobs and formal events, like a funeral. A suit is also short for a lawsuit — like when you file a suit against a doctor who removed the wrong kidney. A suit is also an appeal to someone who has something you want — like money or affection. In cards, the suits are hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. If a hat looks good on you, it suits you. In fact, you can say of just about anything you like, "That suits me." Like a well-fitting suit, when something suits you, you enjoy it and feel comfortable with it.
Vocabulary lists containing suit
Orbiting Jupiter
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Units 2–3
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"When Cultures Meet"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Before the jury was brought in, Banks, dressed in a gray suit, blew a kiss to his wife.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
The audits have since been produced, and that suit is still pending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
By his own account, Piker is now preparing a defamation suit against Jennings and Salem Media, and possibly Fox News, which cited the same debunked compilation.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Prince Harry, Sir Elton John and other celebrities "could face £34m bill" writes the Times, after their failed privacy action suit.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
His suit jackets had four huge inside pockets, each fitted with hooks for a dozen watches, so that wherever he went the hum of hundreds of little wheels went gaily with him.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
You can convert a portion of your traditional IRA each year when it suits, or even make multiple conversions throughout the year, while staying within your desired tax bracket.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
That same year, Porter Wagoner—known for his flashy suits and towering pompadour—hired her as his sidekick and duet partner for his syndicated show and touring company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The crowd of money managers, economists and other finance types had made their annual pilgrimage to this fishing mecca in Maine’s wilderness, trading suits for T-shirts and cargo pants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
This suits the high-press Carrick has used in pre-season.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Why, thank you. It suits me well,” President Davis replied.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Although Wright didn’t play in the Browns’ two preseason games, he suited up Saturday against the Buffalo Bills because injuries to other players created a potential need.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
Jennings is almost comically suited to the part.
From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some in Washington see smaller U.S. oil companies as more nimble and better suited to reviving Venezuela’s crude production than the established players, even under the new, more motivated regime.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“But we see relatively little biologic read-through to other indications given melanoma, as the most immune-sensitive and highest-TMB tumor, is uniquely suited for a vaccine.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Neither of them suited her and although he had once asked, she had never said.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
The possibility of him suiting up in Wolverine yellow, sorry, maize and blue makes me want to sign onto the next Artemis mission, so long as it abandons me on Pluto.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
Whether the games will be played at the Rose Bowl or SoFi Stadium remains to be determined, but the Bruins will not be suiting up against Curt Cignetti and defending national champion Indiana.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2026
“I just remember Tommy saying, ‘I’ll meet you out there,’ and suiting up.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
Browne, the fashion designer known for his shrunken suiting, recently opened two new stores on the Upper East Side, joining other labels like Khaite, Toteme, Kallmeyer and Ulla Johnson, which all had flagships downtown first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2025
He emphasized our being on time and suiting up.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
