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complainant

/kəmˈpleɪnənt/
/kəmˈpleɪnənt/
IPA guide

Other forms: complainants

In law, the person who accuses someone else of wrongdoing is sometimes called the complainant. You are the complainant if you sue your neighbor for building a chicken coop on your property.

Although there are some technical differences in the way legal experts use the terms, a complainant is essentially the same as a plaintiff. They're both ways to refer to an accuser, or someone bringing an official grievance against someone else. Since the 15th century, complainant has been used to mean "one who makes a formal complaint in court, " from complain.

Definitions of complainant
  1. noun
    a person who brings an action in a court of law
    synonyms: plaintiff
    see moresee less
    types:
    petitioner, suer
    someone who petitions a court for redress of a grievance or recovery of a right
    type of:
    litigant, litigator
    (law) a party to a lawsuit; someone involved in litigation
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘complainant'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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