class action

American  

noun

1. a legal proceeding in which persons representing interests common to a large group participate as representatives of the group or class.

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class action British  

noun

1. law a legal action undertaken by one or more people representing the interests of a large group of people with the same grievance

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Other Word Forms

• class-action
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of class action

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

class action

In February, the legal nonprofit Protect Democracy and the law firms Dunn Isaacson Rhee and Drummond Woodsum filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The San Bruno-based company owned by Google agreed to a $7.5-million settlement in a class action lawsuit that alleged the company violated California’s automatic renewal law when renewing YouTube TV subscriptions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Separately, two World Cup fans have filed a lawsuit against StubHub in a proposed class action on Tuesday, accusing the resale platform of failing to deliver tickets they had paid for.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

A reopened 2015 class action adds uncertainty but exposure is largely contained by insurance, Wallington says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Instead, at the end of 2002, Household settled a class action suit out of court and agreed to pay a $484 million fine distributed to twelve states.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis