litigation

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tion ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən How to pronounce litigation (audio)
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
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

Examples of litigation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The litigation Jerry’s lawyer, Luke Widener, said the workers relied on management to warn them of dangers outside because the factory had few windows. Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2024 Famously rare given litigation at the time between Bowman and Topps, with Bowman forced to pull their Williamses. Craig Custance, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024 In November 2023, Wheeler Clinic CEO Sabrina Trocchi sent in several funding proposals to the Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee, or OSAC, an entity charged with determining how best to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars the state has reaped from opioid litigation settlements. Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 25 Dec. 2024 The elder Austin spent his adult life practicing law and had about 35 years of litigation experience under his belt. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for litigation 

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of litigation was in 1612

Dictionary Entries Near litigation

Cite this Entry

“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

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!