litigate

verb

lit·i·gate | \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt

litigated; litigating

Definition of litigate

: to carry on a legal contest by judicial (see judicial sense 1a) process only states can litigate before this court— R. H. Heindel

transitive verb

1 : to decide and settle in a court of law litigate a claim

2 archaic : dispute

Other Words from litigate More Example Sentences Learn More about litigate

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Examples of litigate in a Sentence

They agree to litigate all disputes in this court. The company's unwillingness to make a deal increased her desire to litigate.

Recent Examples on the Web

UConn wants to see the Huskies, under new head coach Dan Hurley, break free from the legacy of Ollie and the specter of litigating against Ollie. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Breaking Down Kevin Ollie's Case Against UConn and the University's Likely Defenses," 29 June 2018 The judge said that question could be litigated only when or if the center actually began promoting political causes. — Michael Tarm, The Seattle Times, "Judge OKs suit aimed at halting Obama library in Chicago," 19 Feb. 2019 To stamp out the impostors, companies such as Nike and Reebok needed someone to find the fraudulent sources and then litigate. — Dan Greene, SI.com, "Flight of the Sole Man," 8 Mar. 2018 The Florida elections are part of a huge partisan fight — and are being litigated in the courts The close races have fueled partisan attacks. — Tara Golshan, Vox, "Florida’s high-stakes recounts for governor and Senate, explained," 15 Nov. 2018 The only issue still being litigated is compensation for plaintiffs’ lawyers, who are seeking the second highest fee in the history of the court. — Ronald Barusch, WSJ, "Dealpolitik: For Facebook and Zuckerberg, Avoiding Testimony in Share Case Could Cost $20 Million an Hour," 7 Aug. 2018 The Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative legal group that argued the Masterpiece case, is currently litigating cases where free speech, religious freedom and public accommodation laws collide. — New York Times, "Why the Supreme Court Opening Could Affect Gay Marriage as Well as Abortion," 3 July 2018 The Alliance Defending Freedom, the conservative legal group that argued the Masterpiece case, is currently litigating cases where free speech, religious freedom and public accommodation laws collide. — BostonGlobe.com, "Supreme Court opening could affect same-sex marriage as much as abortion," 3 July 2018 Kesha dropped her assault lawsuit against the producer in California, but has not backed down from her accusations and is still litigating her contract in New York. — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Kesha focuses on upcoming tour and 'my happiness,' but Dr. Luke lawsuit continues," 6 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'litigate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.