complainant

noun

com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
1
: the party who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding
2
: one who complains

Examples of complainant in a Sentence

the complainant charged that the defendant had broken the ironclad contract that both had signed
Recent Examples on the Web Because the complaints are still under investigation, the names of complainants were redacted. Alyssa N. Salcedo, Journal Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2024 Two of the complainants reported injuries and one reported a crash that could have been caused by the problem, Ford said. CBS News, 25 June 2024 There is no language within the Act that requires the complainant to be from a minority or marginalised race, nor that the defendant comes from a place of racial privilege. Crystal Andrews, refinery29.com, 7 Mar. 2024 Gilead settled with the complainants in June to the tune of $40 million, without admitting fault. Samantha Riedel, Them, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for complainant 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'complainant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of complainant was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near complainant

Cite this Entry

“Complainant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complainant. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

complainant

noun
com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
1
: one who makes a legal complaint
2
: one who complains

Legal Definition

complainant

noun
com·​plain·​ant kəm-ˈplā-nənt How to pronounce complainant (audio)
: the party (as a plaintiff or petitioner) who makes the complaint in a legal action or proceeding

More from Merriam-Webster on complainant

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