litigator

noun

lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər How to pronounce litigator (audio)
plural litigators
: one who carries on a legal contest by judicial process : one who litigates legal cases
As a civil-rights litigator, Payton had argued a Richmond, Va., case before the Supreme Court …William Greider
For thirty years he had been a ruthless litigator, the meanest, nastiest, and without a doubt one of the most effective courtroom brawlers in Chicago.John Grisham
In the 1950's and 60's, he became known as the consummate litigator. Lawyers and judges describe him in the courtroom as wily, charming, eloquent and erudite, with a light but deft touch at cross-examination.Jan Hoffman

Examples of litigator 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.
He is known as one of the leading white-collar litigators and throughout his career has earned an unmatched reputation for carefully executing strategies in the context of national and precedent setting cases. William Jones, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025 Charles Hamilton Houston—Dunbar class of 1911, who went on to become valedictorian at Amherst and the Harvard Law Review’s first Black editor—nevertheless dedicated his life to eradicating Jim Crow as an NAACP litigator and Thurgood Marshall’s mentor in his work contesting educational segregation. Justin Driver, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2025 While the number of prosecutors working in the office has declined only slightly, there has been a mass exodus of veteran litigators, contributing to the large gap in leadership. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025 Immigration advocates, attorneys and civil litigators are warning against the normalization of federal agents concealing their faces while detaining nonviolent students. Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for litigator

Word History

First Known Use

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of litigator was in 1778

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Cite this Entry

“Litigator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigator. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Legal Definition

litigator

noun
lit·​i·​ga·​tor ˈli-tə-ˌgā-tər How to pronounce litigator (audio)
: one that litigates
especially : a lawyer skilled at litigation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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