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

Chatbots are known to validate users’ obsessions and delusions, and most of the litigation around this phenomenon has so far pertained to self-harm, as in the suits Jain has brought against OpenAI and Character Technologies. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025

Swiss litigation and dispute resolution firm Lalive said the First Brands funding model’s mix of private credit and supply chain finance is reminiscent of the Greensill approach. —Hugh Leask, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025

Directors and executives must anticipate potential litigation, gaps in D&O insurance coverage, and reputational exposure, particularly in areas historically protected by federal standards. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025

Other duties include providing legal support when the agency is engaged in litigation in coordination with the attorney general and chief counsel. —Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 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