litigation
Americannoun
-
litigations
plural
-
the act or process of litigating.
a matter that is still in litigation.
-
a lawsuit.
noun
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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
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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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:
Risk Journal reports: Utah can enforce its anti-gambling laws against Kalshi as litigation over whether the prediction markets operator should be subject to state gambling laws plays out, a federal appeals court ruled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
On the grounds that litigation is "reasonably anticipated," the letter from Musk's lawyer orders the filmmakers to preserve every trace of the project, including footage, interview transcripts, research files and internal communications.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
As the project stalled in litigation, San Francisco reemerged with a proposed site on Treasure Island.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The money is seed capital for yet more litigation, more payouts, more fundraising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
There was also a laptop computer, a litigation bag with the FBI insignia in yellow, and a box of maple sugar candies—acorns, wee pilgrims, in fluted paper cups.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
But concerns over misuse of treaties to evade tax and litigations have persisted for years.
From BBC ● Jan. 29, 2026
The company logged 56 cents for net costs for significant litigations in the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 2026
Sheldon’s website lists no attorneys, but claims the firm is the “architect” behind “some of the largest litigations on Earth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025
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
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.
