suit
suit — noun
1. formal clothing consisting of a jacket paired with matching trousers or a matchi
formal clothing consisting of a jacket paired with matching trousers or a matching skirt, all cut from identical cloth and commonly worn to work or special events
Lien wore a grey wool suit to the job interview.
Tomás bought a new suit for his brother's wedding.
The tailor measured Anjali carefully before cutting the suit fabric.
collocation: tailor + suit / cut + suit fabric
Élise hung the suit on the back of the door to let the wrinkles fall out.
Asher looked uncomfortable in the dark blue suit and stiff collar.
collocation: dark blue suit
- business suit
- two-piece suit
- three-piece suit
- suit jacket
- suit trousers
- suit and tie
- pinstripe suit
- tailored suit
- bespoke suit
Grammar Patterns
a suit
suit + noun
Usage Note
Often modified by fabric or colour words (wool suit, grey suit, pinstripe suit). A woman's skirt suit is sometimes called a 'skirt suit' to distinguish it from trousers.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'She wore a suit of armour to the party.' — a suit of armour is a metal protective covering, not clothing.
2. clothing designed for a specific purpose or activity, often covering most of the
clothing designed for a specific purpose or activity, often covering most of the body for protection, safety, or practicality
Yael put on a wet suit before jumping into the cold ocean.
collocation: wet suit (for diving/swimming in cold water)
The firefighter's protective suit can withstand very high temperatures.
Joshua wore a full-body suit in the laboratory to handle dangerous chemicals.
Tariq tried on an old-fashioned diving suit with a heavy metal helmet.
Min's spacesuit has a built-in cooling system to regulate body temperature.
collocation: spacesuit
- wet suit
- diving suit
- space suit
- safety suit
- protective suit
- full-body suit
- hazmat suit
Grammar Patterns
a [type] suit
suit for [activity]
Usage Note
The word before 'suit' tells you the activity or hazard: swimsuit, wetsuit, spacesuit, bodysuit, jumpsuit, protective suit. These are compound nouns, not separate words.
3. a legal disagreement taken before a judge by an individual or company, typically
a legal disagreement taken before a judge by an individual or company, typically seeking compensation or a ruling on a dispute
Hassan's family filed a suit against the factory for polluting the local river.
collocation: file a suit against
The court dismissed the suit because there was not enough evidence.
Mauricio spent three years fighting a legal suit over the ownership of his land.
The Kim family decided to drop the suit after reaching an out-of-court settlement.
collocation: drop a suit (stop pursuing a legal case)
Several workers joined together to bring a class-action suit against the mining company.
collocation: class-action suit
- file a suit
- bring a suit
- dismiss a suit
- settle a suit
- class-action suit
- civil suit
- defend a suit
- drop a suit
- lawsuit
the full form, more common in general usage
- case
broader term for any matter dealt with by a court
- legal action
formal term for the process of taking a dispute to court
- claim
a demand for compensation, especially in civil law
Grammar Patterns
a suit against [somebody]
file a suit
bring a suit
Usage Note
Often interchangeable with 'lawsuit' in everyday English. 'Suit' is slightly more formal and is common in legal writing. The verb is 'sue' (to take legal action against someone).
Common Mistakes
4. one of the four groups into which a deck of playing cards is divided, each marke
one of the four groups into which a deck of playing cards is divided, each marked with a different symbol: hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades
The player had to match the suit of the card that was on top of the pile.
My grandmother can name every card in the suit of hearts without looking.
collocation: suit of hearts
In the card game, spades is the most powerful suit of the four.
The dealer shuffled the deck and asked each person to pick a suit.
- suit of hearts
- suit of spades
- suit of diamonds
- suit of clubs
- lead a suit
- trump suit
- follow suit
- suit of cards
fuller form, used for clarity
Grammar Patterns
[suit name] + suit
suit of + [symbol]
Usage Note
In many card games, the suits have a ranking order (spades highest, then hearts, diamonds, clubs lowest in Bridge). Some games treat all suits equally.
5. an informal and often negative term for a corporate employee or executive in for
an informal and often negative term for a corporate employee or executive in formal office attire, whose priorities are seen as financial rather than human or creative
The startup founders complained that the suits from the head office did not understand their product.
informal, disapproving usage
After years of coding, Christopher refused to become a suit working in a corporate tower.
The film portrays corporate suits as people who only care about quarterly profits.
A group of suits arrived at the factory and announced the layoffs without warning.
- corporate suit
- head-office suit
- the suits
Grammar Patterns
a suit (noun referring to a person)
Usage Note
Almost always carries a negative or dismissive tone. The plural 'suits' is common. This sense is informal and should be avoided in formal writing.
suit up
phrasal verbto put on special clothing or a uniform, especially for a sports game, a film role, or a military or protective task
The basketball team suited up in the locker room before the championship match.
The astronauts suited up hours before the rocket launch to run the final checks.
to be a subject or activity that someone is especially good at or knows a lot about
Mathematics was never Anjali's strong suit, but she worked hard and passed the exam.
Patience is not my strong suit, so waiting in long queues makes me restless.
follow suit
idiomto do the same thing as someone else has just done; to act in a similar way
After Yael started using reusable bags, several of her neighbours followed suit.
When the tech company moved its offices to the suburbs, many smaller firms followed suit.
an informal and humorous way of saying that someone is not wearing any clothes
The toddler ran out of the bathroom in her birthday suit, giggling all the way.
The hotel guest accidentally opened the door in his birthday suit when the cleaner knocked.
This phrase means that someone is very good at a particular subject or activity.
Math is Sara's strong suit; she always gets top grades.
Is cooking your strong suit, or do you prefer baking?
suit — verb
1. to be the right choice for someone's needs or circumstances — for example, a tim
to be the right choice for someone's needs or circumstances — for example, a time that works with their schedule or a job that fits their personality
The evening class schedule suits Lien because she works during the day.
clause pattern: suit + noun + because-clause
That seven o'clock meeting does not suit Joshua at all.
A quiet village would suit Tariq better than a busy city.
The hotel found a room that suited their budget and their taste.
collocation: suit [someone's] budget
The sofa you choose should suit the size and style of your living room.
- suit someone's needs
- suit someone's purpose
- suit someone's budget
- suit someone's taste
- suit the situation
- suit the occasion
- fit
focuses more on size or shape matching; 'suit' focuses on appropriateness for needs or character
- match
emphasises similarity or compatibility between two things
- be appropriate for
more formal, used in official or written contexts
Grammar Patterns
suit + noun/pronoun
suit + to-infinitive (rare)
not suit + noun
Usage Note
Commonly used in negatives and questions: 'Does Tuesday suit you?' 'That time doesn't suit me.' Cannot be used in progressive forms (not 'is suiting').
Common Mistakes
2. to improve someone's appearance, especially when talking about the colours they
to improve someone's appearance, especially when talking about the colours they wear or the styles they choose
That shade of blue really suits Min and brings out the colour of her eyes.
pattern: colour + suits + person
Tomás decided to buy the grey jacket because the salesperson said it suited him.
Short hair suits Élise much better than the long style she had before.
Mauricio tried on several ties but only the red one suited his complexion.
That dress really suits you — you should buy it.
- colour suits
- style suits
- hairstyle suits
- suits [someone's] complexion
- suits [someone's] figure
- flatter
more direct synonym; 'that dress flatters you' means the same thing
- look good on
informal phrase combining 'look' with 'on'; 'that colour looks good on you'
Grammar Patterns
[clothing/colour/style] + suits + [person]
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1: 'The blue shirt suits you' (you look good in it) vs 'The blue shirt suits the occasion' (it is appropriate). In this sense the subject is always a feature of the person's appearance.
Common Mistakes
3. to be convenient or practical for someone, fitting easily into their schedule, p
to be convenient or practical for someone, fitting easily into their schedule, preferences, or way of doing things
Would Thursday afternoon suit you better than Friday morning for the meeting?
question form: Would [time] suit [person]?
The new office hours suit Asher because he can drop his children at school first.
It does not suit the manager to hold the review meeting during the lunch break.
pattern: it suits + [person] + to-infinitive
The online booking system suits customers who prefer to avoid phone calls.
Pick a date that suits you and I will arrange the rest around it.
- suit [someone's] schedule
- suit [someone's] plans
- time suits
- arrangement suits
- suit [someone's] needs
- be convenient for
more formal; 'Is Friday convenient for you?'
- work for
informal; 'Does Tuesday work for you?'
- fit
more general; 'That time fits my schedule.'
- inconvenience
the opposite effect on someone
Grammar Patterns
suit + noun/pronoun
it suits + [person] + to-infinitive
Usage Note
Very common in scheduling contexts: 'Does that suit you?' 'Name a time that suits.' It suggests consideration for someone else's convenience unlike 'fit' which is more neutral about the arrangement.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These four words all involve compatibility, but they differ in focus. 'Suit' (verb 1) is about whether something is right for a person's needs, character, or situation — it covers practical, social, and personal fit. 'Fit' is narrower, often about size or shape ('these shoes fit me'), but also works for compatibility of skills and jobs ('she fits the role'). 'Match' emphasises similarity between two things ('the curtains match the carpet'), whereas 'suit' is about appropriateness, not necessarily similarity. 'Be appropriate for' is more formal and is used when discussing social rules or official requirements ('this behaviour is not appropriate for a formal dinner'). In scheduling contexts, 'suit' is the most common choice: 'Does Tuesday suit you?' sounds natural, while 'Does Tuesday fit you?' is less idiomatic.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'suit' entered English from French 'suite' (a following, a set), which came from Latin 'sequi' (to follow). The original meaning was 'a set of things that go together' — hence a matching set of clothes, a set of legal documents (a lawsuit), and a set of playing cards in the same category. Over time, the 'following' root also gave rise to the verb meaning 'to be appropriate', as in 'to follow what is right for the situation'.