as in defendant
law
someone who brings a legal action against another person or against whom a legal action is brought
Both litigants chose to represent themselves in court.
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Recent Examples of litigant
Other litigants’ right to access to courts is at risk because execution litigation must take priority.
—
Melanie Verdecia, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Once a complaint is filed, attorneys told us, litigants using AI often proceed to file a steady drip of new motions and other documents, prompting the professionals on the other side of the case to pour a huge number of hours into reading and responding to the outflow of material.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
In this case, however, your expertise is needed to help a jury (or litigants) decide whether someone’s personal or professional behavior deviated from the norm in a way that would irreparably harm another person.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
My leadership on the bench is guided by judicial ethics, the Constitution, and a commitment to impartiality, independence, and due process — principles that serve all litigants, regardless of political belief.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for litigant
Melanie Verdecia, Sun Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2026
Once a complaint is filed, attorneys told us, litigants using AI often proceed to file a steady drip of new motions and other documents, prompting the professionals on the other side of the case to pour a huge number of hours into reading and responding to the outflow of material.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 Mar. 2026
In this case, however, your expertise is needed to help a jury (or litigants) decide whether someone’s personal or professional behavior deviated from the norm in a way that would irreparably harm another person.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
My leadership on the bench is guided by judicial ethics, the Constitution, and a commitment to impartiality, independence, and due process — principles that serve all litigants, regardless of political belief.
—Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for litigant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for litigant
Noun
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Four other people, including the defendant's cousin Ronald Crawley, were charged with helping kidnap Arnett.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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Investigators had 1,000 pages of messages between Campbell and Gerodemos and other co-defendants.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
The most exuberant farewell event—a dance party at the White House—took place on January 6th.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Tall served as Mali’s education and science minister from 2016 to 2017 and is the president of the National Congress for Democratic Initiative, a political party opposed to the military government.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, is seeking monetary damages and a jury trial.—
Lexi Nicklaus,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Apr. 2026
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On Monday, Gregory Craig, the attorney for the National Trust, wrote to Assistant Attorney General Breet Shumate, who had urged the plaintiffs to drop the case, citing the events at the Correspondents’ Dinner.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Litigant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litigant. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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