suitor

suitor — noun

1. A man who tries to win a woman's love with the goal of marrying her, typically b

1.nounB2
Definition

A man who tries to win a woman's love with the goal of marrying her, typically by visiting her family, giving gifts, and showing his serious intentions.

Example

Darius was a shy suitor who brought the Watanabe family flowers every Sunday afternoon.

In the novel, the wealthy suitor proposes to the governess during a walk in the garden.

literary register; past-tense narrative

Common collocations
  • potential suitor
  • wealthy suitor
  • young suitor
  • suitor arrives
  • suitor proposes
  • rejected suitor
Synonyms
  • admirer

    Less purposeful — an admirer may simply find someone attractive without seeking marriage

  • wooer

    More literary/archaic; emphasises the act of winning affection rather than the marriage goal

  • beau

    Dated but still recognised; refers to a woman's romantic companion, not necessarily aiming for marriage

Usage Note

Frequently found in historical fiction, fairy tales, and formal accounts of courtship. In modern everyday speech it sounds old-fashioned — people usually say 'boyfriend' or 'partner' instead.

Common Mistakes

She introduced her suitor to the family' (when she is still dating casually).
She introduced her fiancé to the family
'suitor' implies a one-sided pursuit of marriage, not a mutual dating relationship.
The suitor filed a lawsuit against the company.
The company faced a suitor from Japan.
'suitor' in the corporate sense describes a takeover bidder; for legal action, use 'plaintiff' or 'claimant'.

2. A person, investment group, or company that tries to buy enough shares of anothe

2.nounC1
Definition

A person, investment group, or company that tries to buy enough shares of another company to gain control of it.

Example

The German engineering firm faced an unexpected suitor from South Korea last year.

corporate takeover context; passive construction

Three potential suitors have submitted preliminary bids for the pharmaceutical company.

Common collocations
  • potential suitor
  • unexpected suitor
  • hostile suitor
  • foreign suitor
  • reject a suitor
  • suitor withdraws
Synonyms
  • bidder

    Broader — any party that makes an offer, not necessarily for corporate control

  • acquirer

    More neutral; can refer to a company that has already completed a purchase

  • buyer

    General term; lacks the specific takeover/investment connotation

Antonyms
  • target company

    The company being pursued rather than the one doing the pursuing

Usage Note

Subject is usually a company or a group of investors. The object is typically another company ('target company'). Common in financial news and merger-and-acquisition reporting. Highly metaphorical — the romantic 'pursuit' image is borrowed from Sense 1.

Common Mistakes

The suitor bought the car.
The company received a takeover offer from an unexpected suitor.
'suitor' in business English always refers to a would-be acquirer of an entire company, not a buyer of ordinary goods.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words describe men with romantic interest in a woman, but they differ in intensity and timeframe. An 'admirer' expresses fondness or attraction without necessarily acting on it — you might have a secret admirer who sends anonymous letters, but no marriage proposal follows. A 'wooer' actively tries to win affection through gestures and attention; the word feels deliberately old-fashioned and appears mostly in historical novels or formal descriptions of courtship. 'Beau' was once common for a woman's romantic companion; today it sounds slightly dated but is still understood ('She arrived with her beau'). 'Suitor' carries the strongest expectation of marriage and is the most formal of the four. In a sentence: 'Emily had several admirers at the ball, but only one serious suitor asked her father for permission to court her.'

admirer ↗wooerbeau

Common collocations

Nouns

  • suitor + bid
  • suitor + offer
  • suitor + proposal

Phrases

  • potential suitor
  • unexpected suitor
  • hostile suitor
  • rejected suitor
  • wealthy suitor

Prepositions

  • suitor for (her hand / the company)

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Derived from Latin 'sequi' meaning 'to follow'. The Latin verb produced 'secutor' (follower), which passed into Old French as 'suitor' (one who follows or pursues). By the 15th century, Middle English 'sutour' referred to a person who followed a woman with romantic intentions. The business-takeover sense emerged in the mid-20th century, preserving the core idea of pursuit and persuasion.