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

That doesn’t just ease the minds of residents, the HOA president told the Herald, but equips them with data that could be used in potential litigation. — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026

Colin Zick, a privacy and data security attorney at Foley Hoag, said Apple appears to have learned from the first wave of litigation over voice assistants. — Mackenzie Sigalos,annie Palmer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2026

For some, the seemingly lax federal regulation and pending litigation around prediction markets raised alarm bells. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

The attorneys also hoped the litigation would lead to changes in workplace safety practices that German-Oden alleged remained dangerous. — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 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