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
The judge’s preliminary injunction applies only to public colleges and universities in the states that sued while the case proceeds through litigation.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
In a statement shared with Sportico, Rutgers spokesperson Dory Devlin said the school doesn’t comment on pending litigation and will respond to the complaint through the legal process.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Mailee Smith is vice president of policy and litigation for the Illinois Policy Institute.
—Mailee Smith, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Due to the cost of further litigation and evidence of Fletcher’s injuries, a payment of $43,271 was approved by the Board of Estimates.
—Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2026
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Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
In a statement shared with Sportico, Rutgers spokesperson Dory Devlin said the school doesn’t comment on pending litigation and will respond to the complaint through the legal process.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Mailee Smith is vice president of policy and litigation for the Illinois Policy Institute.
—Mailee Smith, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Due to the cost of further litigation and evidence of Fletcher’s injuries, a payment of $43,271 was approved by the Board of Estimates.
—Chevall Pryce, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 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 8 Apr. 2026.
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