litigation
Americannoun
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the act or process of bringing or contesting a legal action in court
-
a judicial proceeding or contest
Usage
What does litigation mean? Litigation is the process of engaging in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. The word litigation can also mean a lawsuit. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). The verb litigate means engage in a legal proceeding. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. A litigator is a lawyer, especially one who specializes in civil cases. A litigant is a person engaged in a lawsuit. Example: Their goal is to avoid litigation, so they’re going to try to get you to settle out of court.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of litigation
First recorded in 1560–70; from Late Latin lītigātiōn-, stem of lītigātiō “a dispute”; equivalent to litigate + -ion
Compare meaning
How does litigation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Litigation is what goes on in court; it is the name for the process of suing someone or trying them for a crime. When families fight over their inheritance, the assets they want may end up being tied up for decades in litigation. If you paid a man to repair your roof and he never finished the job, and he ignores your calls, the best option is to bring litigation against him: take him to court! We can use litigation to talk about one court case, or about cases in general. When the Congress debates health care, they try to find ways to reduce for medical malpractice litigation, which is one of the most expensive aspects of medicine.
Vocabulary lists containing litigation
Just Mercy
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Litigation could go on for months and likely longer.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
In order to make sense of the stakes involved in Republicans’ and Democrats’ redistricting push, I spoke with Pamela Karlan, law professor at Stanford University and co-director of Stanford’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic.
From Slate • May 7, 2026
Litigation and pressure from the industry and lawmakers delayed for decades the creation of the bulks list, leaving compounders in limbo on scores of substances, not just peptides.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
Litigation will continue in 2026, but Benchmark Equity Research said the pipeline system was now “the closest it has been to a restart.”
From Barron's • Jan. 2, 2026
“Those were the distinguished fields. Litigation was for hams, not for serious people. Corporations just didn’t sue each other in those days.”
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
