sue
gb/sˈu/ us/sˈu/
A2
Inglês
~ 5800
Aceções
0 aceções
Verbo
B2
action
1
take someone to civil court
to take a person or company to a civil court because you say they did something wrong and you want money or another result
Padrão de uso:
to sue [someone] for [something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sue' with 'prosecute'. You 'sue' someone in civil law to get money or another remedy, but the government 'prosecutes' someone in criminal law for a crime. Another common mistake is spelling: 'sue' (legal action) is different from 'sew' (join cloth with a needle).
Sinónimos
take legal action (against) (broader, can include criminal or civil; slightly more formal than 'sue')
|
file a lawsuit (against) (more technical/legal phrase describing the formal step of starting a court case)
Antónimos
settle (out of court) (describes resolving a dispute by agreement instead of continuing or starting a lawsuit)
Colocações
sue someone
|sue for damages
|sue for negligence
|sue for breach of contract
|threaten to sue
|have the right to sue
Temas
law
|business
|conflict
Exemplos
- The company plans to sue the contractor for breach of contract.
- If the repairs are done badly, you may be able to sue for damages.
- She decided not to sue her former employer because of the legal costs.
- Several families are suing the government over the new policy.
- He threatened to sue the newspaper for publishing false information.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The customer wants to sue the hotel.
- They will sue the doctor for a mistake.
- She sued the company and won a lot of money.
- He does not have enough money to sue them.
- The man said he would sue if they did not pay.
Verbo
formal
C1
action
2
formally ask for peace or mercy
to formally ask strongly for something important, usually peace or mercy, often between groups or countries
Padrão de uso:
to sue for [peace/mercy/pardon]
Erro comum:
Learners may think this 'sue' always involves a court case, but here it does not. In phrases like 'sue for peace', it just means to formally beg or ask for peace, usually between groups or countries, not to start a lawsuit.
Sinónimos
plead (for) (similar emotional urgency but more common in modern English; less restricted to formal political contexts)
Antónimos
press the attack (in a conflict, doing the opposite of asking for peace; continuing to fight instead of suing for peace)
Colocações
sue for peace
|sue for mercy
|sue for pardon
|sue for clemency
|sue for terms
Temas
diplomacy
|conflict
|history
|communication
|politics
Exemplos
- After months of heavy losses, the smaller country finally sued for peace.
- The rebels were forced to sue for mercy when they ran out of supplies.
- Rather than suing for peace, the leaders chose to continue the war.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The king decided to sue for peace.
- They lost the battle and sued for mercy.
- The city had to sue for pardon from the new government.
- The army refused to sue for peace.
- The leaders sued for peace after many people died.
Nome
A2
entity
3
woman's first name Sue
a woman's first name in English, often short for the name Susan
Sinónimos
Susan (the full form of which 'Sue' is usually a short or informal version)
Antónimos
N/A (Personal names do not have true antonyms.)
Colocações
Aunt Sue
|my friend Sue
|Sue and Tom
|ask Sue
|tell Sue
Temas
people
|names
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- Sue invited everyone to her birthday party.
- I think you met Sue at the conference last year.
- Sue said she would email you the details.
- Tom and Sue moved to Canada last summer.
- Please give this message to Sue when you see her.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- Sue is my English teacher.
- This is my sister, Sue.
- Sue lives in London.
- I got an email from Sue.
- Sue works in a big office.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
sue
IPA
GB/sˈu/
US/sˈu/
Sílabas e acento
sue (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (sue)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: sue
- 3rd Person Singular: sues
- Present Participle: suing
- Past: sued
Família de palavras
Forms
sues
verb
suing
verb
sued
verb
Core family
lawsuit
noun B2
Related words
suit
noun A2
countersue
verb C1
Expressões
have the right to sue
1/hˈæv ðə ɹˈaɪt tə sˈu/
fixed phrase
be allowed to start a lawsuit
to be allowed by law to sue someone in a civil court
Exemplos
- Only direct customers have the right to sue under this agreement.
- Employees may have the right to sue if the company breaks the contract.
- The court said that the group did not have the right to sue the government.
sue for damages
1/sˈu fɚ dˈæmɪd͡ʒɪz/
fixed phrase
start a case to get compensation
to take someone to a civil court because you want money from them for harm or loss they caused
Exemplos
- The family plans to sue for damages after the accident.
- If the product is unsafe, customers may sue for damages.
- Several investors are suing for damages over the failed project.
sue for damages
1/sˈu fɚ dˈæmɪd͡ʒɪz/
fixed phrase
legal
Seek compensation in court
to take someone to court because you want money for harm or loss they caused.
Exemplos
- Residents sued the factory for damages after chemicals contaminated their wells.
- He plans to sue for damages over the cancelled contract.
sue for divorce
1/sˈu fɚ dɪvˈɔɹs/
fixed phrase
start legal process to end marriage
to go to a civil court to try to end your marriage by law
Exemplos
- She decided to sue for divorce after ten years of marriage.
- He sued for divorce on the grounds of adultery.
- Both partners agreed not to sue for divorce until they had tried counseling.
sue for peace
1/sˈu fɚ pˈis/
fixed phrase
formal
formally request the end of war
to formally ask another group or country to stop war or fighting and accept peace
Exemplos
- The government finally chose to sue for peace after years of war.
- Facing defeat on all fronts, the generals urged their leader to sue for peace.
- Rather than suing for peace, the regime tried to hold on to power by force.
sue the pants off (someone)
1/sˈu ðə pˈænts ˈɔf sˈʌmwˌʌn/
idiom
informal
sue someone very aggressively
to sue someone in a very strong way and ask for a lot of money from them, said in a joking or angry way
Exemplos
- If they publish that lie about me, I’ll sue the pants off them.
- He joked that his neighbor would sue the pants off anyone who touched his car.
- The company was afraid the victims might try to sue the pants off them.
threaten to sue
1/θɹˈɛtən tə sˈu/
fixed phrase
warn someone of possible lawsuit
to say you will sue someone if they do not fix a problem or if they do something you think is wrong
Exemplos
- The customer threatened to sue if the company did not refund her money.
- He often threatens to sue, but he rarely takes real legal action.
- The singer’s lawyers threatened to sue the magazine over the article.