litigation
Americannoun
-
the act or process of litigating.
a matter that is still in litigation.
-
a lawsuit.
noun
-
the act or process of bringing or contesting a legal action in court
-
a judicial proceeding or contest
Usage
What does litigation mean? Litigation is the process of engaging in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. The word litigation can also mean a lawsuit. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). The verb litigate means engage in a legal proceeding. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. A litigator is a lawyer, especially one who specializes in civil cases. A litigant is a person engaged in a lawsuit. Example: Their goal is to avoid litigation, so they’re going to try to get you to settle out of court.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of litigation
First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin lītigātiōn-, stem of lītigātiō “a dispute”; equivalent to litigate + -ion
Compare meaning
How does litigation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Litigation is what goes on in court; it is the name for the process of suing someone or trying them for a crime. When families fight over their inheritance, the assets they want may end up being tied up for decades in litigation. If you paid a man to repair your roof and he never finished the job, and he ignores your calls, the best option is to bring litigation against him: take him to court! We can use litigation to talk about one court case, or about cases in general. When the Congress debates health care, they try to find ways to reduce for medical malpractice litigation, which is one of the most expensive aspects of medicine.
Vocabulary lists containing litigation
Just Mercy
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For the states — which have been joined in the antitrust litigation by the Writers Guild of America — setting the trial for next spring would bring advantages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Texas Newsroom obtained autopsies for prisoners named in the litigation, and three of those reports named heat as a contributing factor in the deaths.
From Slate ● Jul. 31, 2026
The Claimants' conduct of this litigation wholly disregarded these key disciplines.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The litigation has dragged on for more than a dozen years, with millions of dollars in litigation costs and countless hours of court time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
They did not do litigation; that is, very few of them had a division dedicated to defending and filing lawsuits.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
The company logged 56 cents for net costs for significant litigations in the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
He also led the U.S. women’s soccer team in its successful fight for equal pay as well as litigations for current free agency rules in the NBA and the NFL.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Those litigations were initiated in several of the states and they wound their way to the Supreme Court of the United States.
From Slate ● Jun. 27, 2023
Clayton County police representative Julia Isaac told The Times that the department does not comment during pending litigations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2022
After the Pacheco case and up until this Joe Mondragon thing, Bloom had once again comfortably immersed himself in the endless petty squabbles, divorces, and mundane litigations of the poor people of Chamisa County.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
