litigate

verb lit·i·gate \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt \

|Updated on: 10 Aug 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

If Pueblo and Black Hills can’t agree on a price, state regulators would step in or the matter would be litigated in court.

— justin worland/pueblo, Time, "How One Industrial City Is Fighting to Go Green," 12 July 2018
But the one thing everyone agrees is that no one really knows for sure, because the issue has never really been litigated in a competitive election.

— NBC News, "Meet the progressive whose surprise win just spoiled establishment Democrats' plans," 16 May 2018
Hundreds of municipalities, have filed lawsuits in response, and they will be litigated in a Cleveland courtroom beginning next year.

— Washington Post, "Sessions to opioid distributors: ‘I’m not shedding any tears if you’re no longer making profits’," 1 May 2018
The case, in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, litigated for less than a year, and the settlement agreement was filed in the court under seal.

— mark davis, kansascity, "Cerner settles another lawsuit that claimed it failed to pay employees overtime," 29 June 2018
The issue of getting defendants to court on time has been litigated several times in recent years in San Diego.

— kristina davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Problems getting detainees to court on time magnified under 'zero-tolerance' immigration crackdown," 24 June 2018
The issue of getting defendants to court on time has been litigated several times in recent years in San Diego.

— kristina davis, latimes.com, "Problems getting detainees to court on time magnified under 'zero-tolerance' immigration crackdown," 24 June 2018
The complaint, which SI has obtained and which will be litigated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, raises serious claims about the treatment of Brown and other African-American men by Milwaukee law enforcement.

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Inside Sterling Brown’s compelling lawsuit against the Milwaukee Police Department and City of Milwaukee," 19 June 2018
Orlin Root-Thalman has been vigorously litigating his case.

— bruce vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Appeals court returns elderly woman's house to couple charged with stealing it," 14 June 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

Learn More about litigate

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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

Phrases Related to LITIGATE

Related Phrases

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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