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
After decades of litigation, the tribe finally recovered its water rights.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Legal battles can discourage farmers Mora said the years-long litigation has left him feeling frustrated and defenseless.
—
Claire Rush,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
And real estate lawyers say there will be years of litigation related to valuations, co-op boards, residency status and other issues related to the new tax.
—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
3 July 2026
Courts have become the fallback mechanism, but litigation is slow and necessarily built on harms that have already occurred.
—
Ryan McBain,
STAT,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for litigation
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Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Legal battles can discourage farmers Mora said the years-long litigation has left him feeling frustrated and defenseless.
—
Claire Rush,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2026
And real estate lawyers say there will be years of litigation related to valuations, co-op boards, residency status and other issues related to the new tax.
—
Robert Frank,
CNBC,
3 July 2026
Courts have become the fallback mechanism, but litigation is slow and necessarily built on harms that have already occurred.
—
Ryan McBain,
STAT,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for litigation
Cite this Entry
“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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