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litigate

verb
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lit·​i·​gate | \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt How to pronounce litigate (audio) \
litigated; litigating

Definition of litigate

intransitive verb

: 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
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Other Words from litigate

litigable \ ˈli-​ti-​gə-​bəl How to pronounce litigable (audio) \ adjective

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 The question of Hofeller’s involvement came to light in May, as the question was being litigated, when new evidence discovered on his hard drives after his death suggested the administration had worked with him to craft the question. — Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, "New evidence shows contact between Trump official and Republican redistricting expert over census citizenship question, contradicting earlier DOJ claims," 12 Nov. 2019 California enacted its own net neutrality rules last year, but that law, championed by Wiener, has been in limbo while the challenge to the FCC’s decision is litigated. — Los Angeles Times, "Upholding FCC’s repeal of net neutrality rules, court opens door for California to enforce its own," 3 Oct. 2019 The key part of the lawsuit was an injunction forcing the federation to reinstate NASL for the 2018 season, or until the case could be litigated. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "San Diego soccer team 1904 FC is back, with new league and giant stadium," 17 July 2019 The Charlottesville move met with resistance, as some residents sued, and a judge blocked the statue's removal for six months while the matter was litigated. — Ralph Ellis, CNN, "The Charlottesville car attacker gets a life sentence: How we got here," 28 June 2019 Judges normally try to accommodate the trial date preferences of litigating parties, particularly when—as is the case here—both sides desired similar start dates. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Earlier-Than-Expected Trial Date Alters Strategy for USWNT, U.S. Soccer," 20 Aug. 2019 The average cost of litigating a copyright case, from pre-trial proceedings through an appeals process, reached $278,000 as of 2017, according to a report by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA). — Marc Schneider, Billboard, "Senate Judiciary Committee Passes CASE Act Legislation Streamlining Copyright Disputes," 18 July 2019 By litigating, Harden also opened the door to other interested in parties—including law enforcement, the NBA and sponsors—to take a closer look. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Analyzing Why James Harden Won Paparazzi Assault Trial," 10 July 2019 Attorneys general are mostly litigating their cases in state courts. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost gets support from other state AGs in attempt to halt federal opioid trial," 6 Sep. 2019

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.

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First Known Use of litigate

1615, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

History and Etymology for litigate

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

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Statistics for litigate

Last Updated

16 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for litigate

The first known use of litigate was in 1615

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More Definitions for litigate

litigate

verb
How to pronounce litigate (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of litigate

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

See the full definition for litigate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

litigate

verb
lit·​i·​gate | \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt How to pronounce litigate (audio) \
litigated; litigating

Legal Definition of litigate

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

Other Words from litigate

litigable \ ˈli-​tə-​gə-​bəl How to pronounce litigable (audio) \ adjective
litigation \ ˌli-​tə-​ˈgā-​shən How to pronounce litigation (audio) \ noun
litigational \ -​shə-​nəl \ adjective
litigatory \ ˈli-​tə-​gə-​ˌtōr-​ē \ adjective

History and Etymology for litigate

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on litigate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with litigate

Spanish Central: Translation of litigate

Nglish: Translation of litigate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of litigate for Arabic Speakers

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