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:
It said she was engaged in “gamesmanship… familiar in capital litigation … designed to frustrate … ‘the State’s strong interest in finality and the surviving victims’ right to closure.”
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Citing the district’s $5.3-billion bond-funded construction program he said: “Every dollar lost to delays, litigation or fraud is a dollar not reaching students and the faculty and staff who serve them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
As part of the agreement, the companies settled prior litigation related to their collaboration, they added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Finance Minister Felipe Chapman acknowledged that the threat of the litigation weighed heavily on the commission's recommendations.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 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
Berenberg also remains confident that two major investor concerns—Prosus commitment to reduce its stake in DH and the litigations in Spain—will be resolved next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 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
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
In a press conference on Saturday, Pierluisi said the power company will remain in a state of bankruptcy given pending litigations.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 17, 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.
