as in defendants
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.
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Recent Examples of litigants
Councilors Tiffany Koyama Lane and Mitch Green personally offered to connect prospective litigants with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon and the state attorney general’s office.
—
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
Such a result would be nonsensical and a miscarriage of justice to the Bevins and other divorce litigants in Kentucky.
—Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were once prolific litigants and between them have sued Associated Newspapers, the publisher of , alone of four times.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Black citizens could now testify, regardless of litigants’ race.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
In this case, the majority of the court reached for an issue no one presented, setting aside the normal procedure of dealing only with the facts and questions presented by the litigants, Wood said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
These litigants have spared no expense and likely would continue to pursue every possible path to a win.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Fans can expect to see Tommie Lee, Mehgan James, and Daphnique Springs, alongside everyday litigants whose real-life disputes spark equal parts laughter and drama.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
With a slew of generative AI tools available to anyone with an internet connection, a rising number of litigants are using AI to assist in their legal cases.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 7 Feb. 2026
Such a result would be nonsensical and a miscarriage of justice to the Bevins and other divorce litigants in Kentucky.
—Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were once prolific litigants and between them have sued Associated Newspapers, the publisher of , alone of four times.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
Black citizens could now testify, regardless of litigants’ race.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
In this case, the majority of the court reached for an issue no one presented, setting aside the normal procedure of dealing only with the facts and questions presented by the litigants, Wood said.
—Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
These litigants have spared no expense and likely would continue to pursue every possible path to a win.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Fans can expect to see Tommie Lee, Mehgan James, and Daphnique Springs, alongside everyday litigants whose real-life disputes spark equal parts laughter and drama.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2025
With a slew of generative AI tools available to anyone with an internet connection, a rising number of litigants are using AI to assist in their legal cases.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for litigants
Noun
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Some defendants are also accused of conspiring to bribe a civilian contractor to create fraudulent military IDs for base access.—
Steve Patterson,
Florida Times-Union,
5 Feb. 2026
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Court records show that several weeks later, the case was settled out of court with the defendants never having filed a response to the allegations.—
Clark Kauffman,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Before Moscow suspended New START in 2023, both parties carried out 328 on-site inspections and exchanged more than 25,000 notifications about each other’s activities, according to the State Department.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
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Super Bowl Sunday will bring watch parties with overflowing snack tables and a familiar lineup of wings, chips and dip.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In December, Ohio State filed a motion in the case arguing against the plaintiffs’ right to subpoena Wexner by alternative service, which the court rejected.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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The trial marks the first time tech giants Meta and YouTube will answer to a jury over the allegations—Snapchat and TikTok reached a settlement with the plaintiffs last month.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Litigants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litigants. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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