litigation
noun
lit·i·ga·tion
ˌli-tə-ˈgā-shən 
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
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
Gordon Gould Examples of litigation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The report came to light after NBC News sought a public records request connected with ongoing litigation.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Earlier this month, Illinois dropped its suit against Coinbase, making Wisconsin one of the last four states banning crypto staking as a result of the ongoing litigation against the company.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
Other layoffs and policies have been subjected to stop-and-go litigation and court orders.
—Michael Kunzelman and Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Like other requests made to the Supreme Court, Harris took aim at the breadth of the injunctions issued by the district courts, which are nationwide in scope and cover states and individuals who are not involved in the litigation before them.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for litigation
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.
Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Earlier this month, Illinois dropped its suit against Coinbase, making Wisconsin one of the last four states banning crypto staking as a result of the ongoing litigation against the company.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
Other layoffs and policies have been subjected to stop-and-go litigation and court orders.
—Michael Kunzelman and Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2025
Like other requests made to the Supreme Court, Harris took aim at the breadth of the injunctions issued by the district courts, which are nationwide in scope and cover states and individuals who are not involved in the litigation before them.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for litigation
Cite this Entry
“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share