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

Resolution work involves collections (helping individuals and businesses that owe the IRS or state but can’t pay in full) and controversy (audits, appeals and litigation). —Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025

Despite that litigation, WB claimed that Midjourney has recently removed copyright protections in its supposedly shameful ongoing bid for profits. —Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025

Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said Thursday that the department doesn’t comment on pending litigation. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025

Anthropic faced the risk of prolonged litigation and losing on that point. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 Sep. 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