litigate

verb lit·i·gate \ ˈli-tə-ˌgāt \

Updated on: 21 Apr 2018

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

Kerr County is the mandatory venue set by the HJH firms for litigating disputes.

— patrick danner and zeke maccormack, San Antonio Express-News, "FBI investigating possible wrongdoing at Kerrville company, sources say," 12 Apr. 2018
After a few rounds of settlement talks, though, attorneys for the government and the drug companies said some claims would need to be litigated in order to reach a full settlement.

— eric heisig, cleveland.com, "Cleveland, Cuyahoga County's opioid lawsuits set as first cases against drug companies to go to trial, judge says," 11 Apr. 2018
Some employees expressed frustration that the issue of data sharing was being re-litigated in the media and conflated with recent allegations of the Kremlin using the social network to spread propaganda.

— tracey lien, latimes.com, "Silicon Valley played by a different set of rules. Facebook’s crisis could put an end to that," 23 Mar. 2018
The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, preventing Murray and his company from re-litigating the matter in the same court.

— megan geuss, Ars Technica, "Coal CEO’s defamation lawsuit against John Oliver is dismissed," 25 Feb. 2018
The last such case litigated to conclusion was a 1979 suit involving truck trailers and wheels, which the government lost.

— Bloomberg.com, "AT&T Is Said to Seek Antitrust Chief as Witness, NYT Reports," 14 Feb. 2018
For years, developers, residents, and officials have squabbled and litigated what should replace the hospital and the land that encircles it.

— caitlin mccabe, Philly.com, "Once a controversial insane asylum, Chester County's Embreeville now the center of an open-space feud," 30 Mar. 2018
The emoluments case raises basic questions that have never been litigated.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Trump says Second Amendment ‘will never be repealed’," 29 Mar. 2018
The emoluments case raises basic questions that have never been litigated.

— sharon lafraniere, New York Times, "Lawsuit Over Trump’s Ties to His Businesses Is Allowed to Advance," 28 Mar. 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

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First Known Use: 1615

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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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