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

All the providers declined to speak with CNN about ongoing litigation. — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 26 July 2026

Max Pritt, an attorney for Boies Schiller Flexner who represents book authors in copyright litigation against AI firms, said the government is in the same boat. — Kif Leswing,jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 25 July 2026

Renata Castro, a longtime immigration lawyer based in Coral Springs, forecast a long road of arrests and litigation. — David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 25 July 2026

Moving to the merits While the temporary restraining order was originally set to expire after 14 days, the judge was likely to grant a preliminary injunction that would continue to block the merger while litigation continues. — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 24 July 2026

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