litigation

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən 

plural litigations

: the act, process, or practice of settling a dispute in a court of law : the act or process of litigating

an issue that has been in litigation for years

an attorney who specializes in the litigation of property disputes

The American Judicial System generally limits the filing of lawsuits to individuals with a personal stake in the litigation, but there are instances when litigants cannot themselves prosecute an action.

—Jonathan Mahler

also : a legal action or proceeding (such as a lawsuit)

"You can't realize how much it costs to run one of these litigations. To get a battery of lawyers into a courtroom and do all the planning … and so on costs $500,000."

—Gordon Gould

Examples of litigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Orchid, 43, said the point of starting the landfill litigation was to shutter the dump and squeeze out enough money from the owners for her sick neighbors to move out of town. — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026

Attorneys for the defendants have denied the allegations in court, and MetroLoft declined to comment on the pending litigation on Thursday. — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

However, the personal injury segment of the multidistrict litigation remains wide open and unresolved. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 10 July 2026

The firings have been paused by litigation, but the White House is now refusing to fund the agency. — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing litigation

• in litigation

Rhymes for litigation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation