as in defendants
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.
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of litigants
As a federal judge, Talwani has a history of siding with liberal litigants, including in immigration cases.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2025
Judges rely on the expectation that litigants will maintain coherence in their legal positions.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2025
Judges rely on the expectation that litigants will maintain coherence in their legal positions.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for litigants
Noun
-
One of the defendants, Benjamin Song — a 32-year-old former Marine Corps reservist who associates described to authorities as a cult-like ringleader who opposes the government on immigration enforcement and on other matters — shot Alvarado Police Department Lt.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Allocution statements are typically an opportunity for defendants to express remorse in an effort to mitigate their sentences.—
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
An ally of Hungarian leader Viktor Orban, Babis has teamed up with a number of far-right parties in the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament to challenge the mainstream direction of Europe’s policies, including decarbonisation.—
Reuters 3 hr ago,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
-
There are no easy fixes, so figuring out how to cushion the harsh impact will be the basis of negotiations with other parties in the Japanese legislature, the Diet.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This decision highlights the precise reasons securities plaintiffs will continue to rely on these reports to allege corrective disclosures and loss causation.—
Tim Reynolds,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But the law had not been tested in court, and plaintiffs have faced setbacks due to technicalities and the time lapse.—
Nora Gamez Torres,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Litigants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litigants. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share