litigation

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən How to pronounce litigation (audio)
plural litigations
Synonyms of litigation
: 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
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However, the trust petition argues that Nick Reiner is entitled to a presumption of innocence, and suggests that the family trusts could be subject to future litigation. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 June 2026 World Liberty is embroiled in litigation with Justin Sun, a crypto investor who was a major early purchaser of WLFI tokens, over his allegations that World Liberty has quietly prevented him from selling his tokens. Matt Peterson, CNBC, 9 June 2026 The settlement resolves years of litigation brought by dog owners Wendy Love and Jay Hamm after their 14-month-old dog, Herkimer, was shot and killed by a police officer while the couple was stopped in the parking lot of a Loveland business. Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 9 June 2026 Conferences have imposed penalties independent of NCAA enforcement in the past, but any attempt to sanction Sorsby could open the door to additional litigation. Trey Wallace, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for litigation

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of litigation was in 1612

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Cite this Entry

“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.

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