litigate
verb
lit·i·gate
ˈli-tə-ˌgāt 
litigated; litigating
: to carry on a legal contest by judicial (see judicial sense 1a) process
only states can litigate before this court—
R. H. Heindel
R. H. HeindelExamples of litigate in a Sentence
They agree to litigate all disputes in this court.
The company's unwillingness to make a deal increased her desire to litigate.
Recent Examples on the Web
If the debris had landed just a few feet away, someone likely would have been seriously hurt or killed, according to Mica Nguyen Worthy, an attorney who is now litigating the first-ever case of property damage from space debris against NASA.
—Tom Brown, Space.com, 28 June 2025
The parliamentarian has knocked out proposals to shift SNAP spending to states and sell public land — and while Republicans are rewriting them, they haven’t been litigated yet.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
Some experts point out that Judge Breyer’s order is limited only to California, which means that until it’s fully litigated — a process that can drag on for weeks or months — the president may attempt similar moves elsewhere.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
School said there was no intentional discrimination Hundreds of district court decisions across the country have been litigated under that standard, with most of them ending in a loss for the families, according to Tharpes’ attorneys.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for litigate
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Tom Brown, Space.com, 28 June 2025
The parliamentarian has knocked out proposals to shift SNAP spending to states and sell public land — and while Republicans are rewriting them, they haven’t been litigated yet.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 25 June 2025
Some experts point out that Judge Breyer’s order is limited only to California, which means that until it’s fully litigated — a process that can drag on for weeks or months — the president may attempt similar moves elsewhere.
—Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
School said there was no intentional discrimination Hundreds of district court decisions across the country have been litigated under that standard, with most of them ending in a loss for the families, according to Tharpes’ attorneys.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for litigate
Cite this Entry
“Litigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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Legal Definition
litigate
verb
lit·i·gate
ˈli-tə-ˌgāt
litigated; litigating
: to seek resolution of a legal contest by judicial process
chose to litigate rather than settle
: to make the subject of a suit
litigate a claim
broadly
: to contest or resolve in court
litigate an insanity defense
litigational
adjective
-shə-nəl
litigatory
adjective
ˈli-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē
Etymology
Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare, from lit-, lis lawsuit + agere to drive
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