litigant

as in defendant
law someone who brings a legal action against another person or against whom a legal action is brought Both litigants chose to represent themselves in court.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of litigant California has been joined by other states in all but one of those lawsuits, and has formally backed litigants against the administration in nearly 20 additional cases, too. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025 This keeps abusive litigants from using the litigation itself to harass folks. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025 In Florida, lawsuits don’t automatically end upon the death of a litigant, so after De Groft passed away in January, his family took over responsibility for the cases. Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2025 In 2022, the litigants reached a settlement allowing the city to close the camp on Oct. 13, 2024. Krissy Waite, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for litigant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for litigant
Noun
  • Prosecutors and the defense team have been carefully treading the Molineux rule, which generally prohibits using evidence of a defendant’s prior bad behavior to prove their propensity to commit the charges in question.
    Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
  • Orders included a decision to hear an Alabama capital murder case in which a defendant was convicted and sentenced to death for a murder in 1997.
    Ross O'Keefe, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2025
Noun
  • There is also the risk that Musk, who suggested the creation of a new political party on Thursday, spends against Republicans in 2026.
    Naomi Lim, The Washington Examiner, 8 June 2025
  • Or make a batch of Spring Negronis and call it a party.
    Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
Noun
  • For troops involved in the court battles as plaintiffs, leaving voluntarily now would likely hurt their standing in the case.
    Lolita C. Baldor, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
  • The plaintiff, Marlean Ames, alleges her employer, the Ohio Department of Youth Services, denied her a promotion and later demoted her, in both cases selecting gay candidates instead who were less qualified.
    Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 5 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Litigant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litigant. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.

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