litigation

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən 

plural litigations

: the act, process, or practice of settling a dispute in a court of law : the act or process of litigating

an issue that has been in litigation for years

an attorney who specializes in the litigation of property disputes

The American Judicial System generally limits the filing of lawsuits to individuals with a personal stake in the litigation, but there are instances when litigants cannot themselves prosecute an action.

—Jonathan Mahler

also : a legal action or proceeding (such as a lawsuit)

"You can't realize how much it costs to run one of these litigations. To get a battery of lawyers into a courtroom and do all the planning … and so on costs $500,000."

—Gordon Gould

Examples of litigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, his biggest strength as a pageant coach doesn’t come from nearly 40 years of civil litigation and frequenting courthouses. —Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

Jenni Riehle, a spokeswoman for the MDOC, declined to comment, citing pending litigation. —Paul Egan, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Violating Wisconsin’s one-party consent law can result in civil penalties, including actual or liquidated damages of at least $1,000, punitive damages and reimbursement for the victim’s attorney fees and litigation costs, according to state law. —Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025

The Florida case centers on Nicklaus’ claims that Milstein used the New York litigation and media outreach to tarnish his reputation. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing litigation

• in litigation

Rhymes for litigation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation