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
Recent Examples on the Web
The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence in 1990 and over the next three decades Duckett engaged in unsuccessful postconviction litigation in both state and federal courts, Uthmeier wrote.
—Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
Huff didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment, and a spokesperson for Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the county typically doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026
The Legal Aid Society’s analysis only includes lawsuit settlements, not claims that the city comptroller, the official in charge of financial matters, resolved prior to formal litigation.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
Ongoing litigation and pending Supreme Court decisions may yet alter the redistricting landscape significantly before November, meaning the final impact of these efforts remains uncertain and could ultimately favor one party over the other depending on judicial rulings.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
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Jim Turner, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
Huff didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment, and a spokesperson for Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the county typically doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
—Jane Harper, Dallas Morning News, 2 Mar. 2026
The Legal Aid Society’s analysis only includes lawsuit settlements, not claims that the city comptroller, the official in charge of financial matters, resolved prior to formal litigation.
—ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
Ongoing litigation and pending Supreme Court decisions may yet alter the redistricting landscape significantly before November, meaning the final impact of these efforts remains uncertain and could ultimately favor one party over the other depending on judicial rulings.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 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 4 Mar. 2026.
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