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

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

Some Brazilians argue that the concerns about social media should be addressed through legislation rather than litigation. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025

Trump has also ordered the federal government to re-evaluate its gun policies and all ongoing litigation that could restrict Americans’ gun rights. —Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025

What does this mean for future litigation against oil companies? —Jack Brook, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025

The civil litigation also played a role in the Blanck saga. —Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing litigation

• in litigation

Rhymes for litigation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation