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
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The arrangement morphed into a cottage industry for a small number of law firms that solicited plaintiffs door to door and bombarded insurers with litigation, insurers have long contended. Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2025 Difficulties lead to litigation The frustrations have led hundreds of plaintiffs to sue in numerous cases in both state and federal court . Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 13 Mar. 2025 Clinton says he’s never received payments from the litigation. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025 For decades, news companies, particularly in Florida, pushed back against that secrecy through public pressure and litigation. David Cuillier, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for litigation

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of litigation was in 1612

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Cite this Entry

“Litigation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litigation. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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