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
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
Gordon Gould Examples of litigation in a Sentence
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The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the same court that issued a nationwide injunction blocking the SAVE program in 2024, issued a ruling in March that effectively ordered a district court judge overseeing the litigation to effectuate the settlement.
—Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The memo also appears to anticipate concerns about conflicts of interest, suggesting ICE must ensure that the attorney pursuing any fraud violation is appropriately separated from litigation of the underlying immigration case.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 26 May 2026
The administration has painted SPLC as partisan Founded in 1971 as a civil rights organization, the SPLC over the decades has used litigation to fight white supremacist groups.
—Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
West Contra Costa Unified School District is in litigation over its use of long-term substitute teachers.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
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Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The memo also appears to anticipate concerns about conflicts of interest, suggesting ICE must ensure that the attorney pursuing any fraud violation is appropriately separated from litigation of the underlying immigration case.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 26 May 2026
The administration has painted SPLC as partisan Founded in 1971 as a civil rights organization, the SPLC over the decades has used litigation to fight white supremacist groups.
—Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
West Contra Costa Unified School District is in litigation over its use of long-term substitute teachers.
—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for litigation
Cite this Entry
“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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