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

Former executives and insiders agreed to a $125 million settlement in a related class action.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

The class action lawsuit has been brought on behalf of millions of streamers who use Twitch, alleging its parent company Amazon used their videos to train AI without their permission or proper compensation.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Separately, class action suits against Suno and Udio have drawn support from more than 1,800 independent artists who say their recordings were used without permission to train the company’s models.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 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

When this book went to press, they were contemplating class action.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot