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

This would effectively remove Kelly from his Senate seat and force litigation. —Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026

In the 2022 attorney general race, James defeated Henry, a New York City commercial litigation attorney, by just over 9 percentage points, a swing further to the right from 2018. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 9 Feb. 2026

Transparency concerns are compounded when public records requests, such as for executive employment contracts and related documents, go unanswered or delayed, and litigation under Florida’s Public Records Act results in the same law firm defending both systems. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026

The DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, which operates the jail, declined to comment citing pending litigation. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Feb. 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