class action

American

noun

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

class action British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

class-action

adjective

Etymology

Origin of class action

First recorded in 1950–55

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.

See Examples For:

class action

A federal judge dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit that had accused Diageo of false advertising for Casamigos and Don Julio tequila “100% agave.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The class action suit was later served in the US, with the law firm leading the case saying it had signed up more than 11,000 claimants.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

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

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

The immigrant rights’ nonprofit is one of several plaintiffs in a federal civil class action lawsuit against DHS and U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

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

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023