litigate

verb

lit·​i·​gate ˈli-tə-ˌgāt How to pronounce litigate (audio)
litigated; litigating

intransitive verb

: to carry on a legal contest by judicial (see judicial sense 1a) process
only states can litigate before this courtR. H. Heindel

transitive verb

1
: to decide and settle in a court of law
litigate a claim
2
archaic : dispute
litigable adjective

Examples 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 Judges grant such requests in cases where a lawsuit shouldn’t have been filed or was litigated too aggressively, and fee awards can serve as a powerful deterrent against future questionable lawsuits. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 Instead of planning actions, many activists now spend their time litigating microaggressions and small disputes within their ranks. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 The subject is full of dense and wonky material that gets litigated through binder-thick planning reports instead of sound bites. Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024 For one, litigating the bill’s legality in the courts is expensive. Eric Levenson, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 The Biden administration’s punitive action has also triggered outrage because Israel’s judiciary has either taken legal action against the Israelis or is in the process of litigating claims against the extremists. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 4 Feb. 2024 In the trial that took place last year, litigating her 2022 lawsuit, Trump declined to attend or even present a defense and was found liable on both counts. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 28 Jan. 2024 Judge Tanya Chutkan previously set a March 4 trial date, but was forced to indefinitely delay the proceedings until the immunity issue is further litigated. Robert Legare, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 The commission has faced multiple legal challenges, including an appeal brought by Earthjustice, a nonprofit that helps litigate environmental issues. Samantha Hendrickson, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litigate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare, from lit-, lis lawsuit + agere to drive — more at agent

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of litigate was in 1615

Dictionary Entries Near litigate

Cite this Entry

“Litigate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigate. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

litigate

verb
lit·​i·​gate ˈlit-ə-ˌgāt How to pronounce litigate (audio)
litigated; litigating
: to carry on a lawsuit
litigation noun
litigator noun

Legal Definition

litigate

verb
lit·​i·​gate ˈli-tə-ˌgāt How to pronounce litigate (audio)
litigated; litigating

intransitive verb

: to seek resolution of a legal contest by judicial process
chose to litigate rather than settle

transitive verb

: to make the subject of a suit
litigate a claim
broadly : to contest or resolve in court
litigate an insanity defense
litigable adjective
litigation noun
litigational
-shə-nəl
adjective
litigatory
ˈli-tə-gə-ˌtōr-ē
adjective
Etymology

Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare, from lit-, lis lawsuit + agere to drive

More from Merriam-Webster on litigate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!