Suit (clothing, law, playing cards, and protective gear)

Clothing: tailored and matching sets

As an item of dress, a suit is a coordinated ensemble designed to be worn together. Classic examples include the two-piece jacket and trousers combination and the three-piece version that adds a waistcoat. Suits appear in formal, business and casual variations, with differences in cut, lapel shape, buttoning, fabric and construction. Women’s suiting follows parallel principles and includes tailored jackets, skirt suits and trouser suits. Proper fit, tailoring and fabric choice affect appearance and comfort.

• Common components: jacket, trousers, waistcoat (optional), shirt or blouse, tie or scarf, appropriate footwear.
• Variants include lounge suits, dinner suits (tuxedos), tailcoats, and business or casual separates.

Legal suit (lawsuit)

In law, a suit or lawsuit is a claim brought to a court by one party against another seeking relief for a dispute. Civil suits cover many areas such as contract disputes, property claims, torts (injury claims), family law matters and equitable remedies. Typical features include a claimant or plaintiff, a defendant, filings that state issues in dispute, intermediate procedures (for example discovery and pretrial motions) and possible outcomes such as monetary damages, injunctions or declaratory judgments. Procedures and terminology vary by jurisdiction.

Playing cards: suits and their role

In card decks, a suit is one of the categories used to group cards. The standard French-suited deck contains four suits, and these suit groups shape rank relationships, trick-taking rules and scoring in many games. Other card traditions employ different symbols and numbers of suits, and some games designate a trump suit that outranks others. Suits are central to strategy in many card games.

Protective, occupational and figurative uses

Another family of meanings refers to specialized garments designed for protection, mobility or environmental isolation. Examples include wetsuits and drysuits for water activities, insulated or fire‑resistant suits for industrial work, hazmat suits for hazardous materials response, and pressure suits used in aviation and spaceflight. Materials, seals and closures are selected to match the hazards or conditions the suit must address.

Other senses and usage notes

Additional senses appear in idioms and older usage: a suitor is someone who courts another; “the suits” colloquially refers to corporate managers; to “suit up” means to put on clothing or equipment required for an activity. When using the word, listeners rely on context to distinguish among these meanings. Each sense carries its own conventions—tailoring and care for garments, procedural rules for legal suits, and equipment standards for protective suits.