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

Meanwhile, related litigation in New York continues, where Lively and Baldoni are expected to face each other at trial in March 2026. —Jenna Sundel, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

The Ada County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment, citing pending litigation. —Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 1 May 2025

Despite sympathy for the plaintiffs, many of the justices appeared wary of a broad ruling that might open the floodgates to litigation against the government. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 29 Apr. 2025

Where do those cases stand? April 29, 2025 The White House recently denounced California’s barrage of lawsuits in a statement to The Times, calling the litigation a misguided attempt to block the president’s agenda. —Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 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