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

Our list includes the American Civil Liberties Union, which has spent more than a century defending the Constitution, using litigation and advocacy to uphold the rule of law when state power drifts toward authoritarian abuse. —Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Deviations from protocol can become focal points in criminal defense challenges, civil rights litigation and internal discipline reviews. —Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

As part of the litigation, Snyder-Hill and his co-plaintiffs have sought to depose Wexner and recently won court approval to subpoena him through alternative means after his attorney refused to accept service and other efforts proved futile. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Judge Menendez asked, noting that the conduct of federal agents is already the subject of separate litigation. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 26 Jan. 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