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

The worst performer on the index was Danish turbine-maker Vestas Wind, with a loss of about 8%, over changes to wind energy regulation in the U.S. Germany's Bayer was the third biggest loser due to the U.S. Supreme Court delaying a decision on a long-running litigation over its weedkiller. —Jenni Reid,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 30 June 2025

The unit’s federal litigation team is at the forefront of immigration fights in federal court, sometimes taking matters to the Supreme Court. —Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 29 June 2025

However, the opinion also blocked President Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship from taking effect for 30 days, while litigation continues. —Npr Staff, NPR, 27 June 2025

Redman did not immediately return a request for comment, and Health and Welfare declined to comment, citing pending litigation. —Carolyn Komatsoulis, Idaho Statesman, 27 June 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