litigate
verb
lit·i·gate
ˈli-tə-ˌgāt 
litigated; litigating
: to carry on a legal contest by judicial (see judicial sense 1a) process
only states can litigate before this court—
R. H. Heindel
R. H. HeindelExamples 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
Synergy and Grace Ocean filed a court petition soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability -- a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.
—Eric Tucker, arkansasonline.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Synergy and Grace Ocean filed a court petition soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability — a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
By eliminating the statutes entirely, law firms would have the time to figure out how to properly litigate our cases and have more of an incentive to help.
—Kyle Dillon Hertz, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The decision keeps on hold the law, originally set to go into effect on March 5, while it’s being litigated.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
The prosecutor had litigated the cases of many people on death row.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Others worked at three law firms who litigated the cases pro bono: Melody Eagan and Jeffrey Doss of Lightfoot, Franklin & White; Michael Shortnacy, who was at King & Spalding and is now with Shook, Hardy & Bacon; and Kathleen Hartnett of Cooley LLP.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024
The decision puts a hold on the law while it's being litigated.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
That legal fight reached the Supreme Court last month, where the justices, without giving their reasons, ruled that border agents were permitted to cut or remove the wire as needed while the case was being litigated at the lower court.
—Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
Eric Tucker, arkansasonline.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Synergy and Grace Ocean filed a court petition soon after the collapse seeking to limit their legal liability — a routine procedure for cases litigated under U.S. maritime law.
—Eric Tucker, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
By eliminating the statutes entirely, law firms would have the time to figure out how to properly litigate our cases and have more of an incentive to help.
—Kyle Dillon Hertz, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
The decision keeps on hold the law, originally set to go into effect on March 5, while it’s being litigated.
—USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
The prosecutor had litigated the cases of many people on death row.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Others worked at three law firms who litigated the cases pro bono: Melody Eagan and Jeffrey Doss of Lightfoot, Franklin & White; Michael Shortnacy, who was at King & Spalding and is now with Shook, Hardy & Bacon; and Kathleen Hartnett of Cooley LLP.
—Reuters, NBC News, 21 Mar. 2024
The decision puts a hold on the law while it's being litigated.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024
That legal fight reached the Supreme Court last month, where the justices, without giving their reasons, ruled that border agents were permitted to cut or remove the wire as needed while the case was being litigated at the lower court.
—Edgar Sandoval, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litigate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near litigate
Cite this Entry
“Litigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigate. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
litigate
verb
lit·i·gate
ˈli-tə-ˌgāt
litigated; litigating
: to seek resolution of a legal contest by judicial process
chose to litigate rather than settle
: to make the subject of a suit
litigate a claim
broadly
: to contest or resolve in court
litigate an insanity defense
litigational
adjective
-shə-nəl
litigatory
adjective
ˈli-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē
Etymology
Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare, from lit-, lis lawsuit + agere to drive
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