litigate

verb lit·i·gate \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Examples: litigate in a Sentence

Definition of litigate

litigated; litigating

intransitive verb

: to carry on a legal contest by judicial (see judicial 1a) process

only states can litigate before this court
—R. H. Heindel

transitive verb

1 archaic : dispute

2 : to decide and settle in a court of law

litigate a claim

—

litigable

play \ˈli-ti-gə-bəl\ adjective

—

litigation

play \ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən\ noun

—

litigator

play \ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər\ noun

See litigate defined for English-language learners

See litigate defined for kids

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 of litigate from the Web

In two years litigating the case, the county has hired dozens of lawyers who have billed them $6.7 million.

— gabrielle banks, Houston Chronicle, "Federal judge on landmark Harris County bail suit implements revisions to policy," 29 June 2018
More than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, some people are still attempting to litigate the past.

— Essence.com, "Here’s What Happened When a White Woman Tried To Explain Slavery To a Black Politician," 20 June 2018
The report is not expected to address the DOJ and FBI’s actions taken in the Trump-Russia investigation, or re-litigate the Clinton case.

— Fox News, "FOX NEWS FIRST: IG report could be day of reckoning; 'War games' to be cancelled after Trump-Kim summit," 14 June 2018
The lawsuit was paid for and litigated by a group led by Holder and Democrats accused Walker of stalling out of fear that Schactner's victory would be replicated.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Will Democrats' string of victories shake Republican confidence heading into fall races?," 13 June 2018
No one’s here to discuss the merits of soccer or litigate its worthiness as a sport and global phenomenon.

— ted berg, For The Win, "7 reasons even soccer haters can appreciate the World Cup," 13 June 2018
That money would be much better spent expanding coverage for sick patients than litigating a frivolous claim that seeks to take away their health care, instead.

— Philly.com, "Why the latest GOP swipe at Obamacare is an assault on logic," 12 June 2018
The show also goes after (literally) the lawyers that litigate copyright claims.

— trevor fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Review: S#IT: Unauthorized Musical Parody of Stephen King's It - Fringe 2018," 14 May 2018
Slip-and-fall cases are common in large cities, and the business of litigating such claims has a long history of abuse, with insurance companies spending large sums of money to detect fraud.

— New York Times, "How a Web of Slip-and-Fall Cases Puts a New Spin on an Old-Fashioned Scheme," 11 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.

Origin and Etymology of litigate

Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare, from lit-, lis lawsuit + agere to drive — more at agent

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1615

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

LITIGATE Defined for English Language Learners

litigate

verb

Definition of litigate for English Language Learners

law : to make (something) the subject of a lawsuit : to cause (a case, an issue, etc.) to be decided and settled in a court of law

Law Dictionary

litigate

verb lit·i·gate \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt \

legal Definition of litigate

litigated; litigating

intransitive verb

: to seek resolution of a legal contest by judicial process

chose to litigate rather than settle

transitive verb

: to make the subject of a suit

litigate a claim

; broadly : to contest or resolve in court

litigate an insanity defense

—

litigable

play \ˈli-tə-gə-bəl\ adjective

—

litigation

play \ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən\ noun

—

litigational

\-shə-nəl\ adjective

—

litigatory

\ˈli-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē\ adjective

Origin and Etymology of litigate

Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare, from lit-, lis lawsuit + agere to drive

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litigate

Definition of litigate

litigable

litigation

litigator

Examples of litigate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of litigate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of litigate

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LITIGATE Defined for English Language Learners

litigate

Definition of litigate for English Language Learners

Law Dictionary

litigate

legal Definition of litigate

litigable

litigation

litigational

litigatory

Origin and Etymology of litigate

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