litigate

verb

lit·​i·​gate ˈli-tə-ˌgāt 

litigated; litigating

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

litigable

ˈli-ti-gə-bəl 

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 business owners’ attorney, Russell Cormican, who has been litigating cases related to psychics and fortunetellers for over 20 years, said regulations of psychics’ free speech are often driven by discriminatory beliefs and biases. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026

The point here is not to re-litigate these arguments in enough detail to reach a conclusion. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

With the current Congress unwilling to challenge the administration over its spending authority, such disputes could effectively only be litigated during periods of divided government in Washington. — Leila Fadel, NPR, 1 Sep. 2026

None of the truly creative conspiracy theories were litigated for a jury to decide. — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for litigate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

litigate

verb

lit·​i·​gate ˈlit-ə-ˌgāt 

litigated; litigating

: to carry on a lawsuit

litigation

ˌlit-ə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

litigator

ˈlit-ə-ˌgāt-ər 

noun

Legal Definition

litigate

verb

lit·​i·​gate ˈli-tə-ˌgāt 

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

ˈli-tə-gə-bəl 

adjective

litigation

ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən 

noun

litigational

-shə-nəl

adjective

litigatory

ˈli-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē

adjective

Etymology

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