lawsuit
Americannoun
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lawsuits
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lawsuit
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How does lawsuit compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A lawsuit is the result of a disagreement that ends up in court. A long-running feud between neighbors about a flock of chickens and a barking dog might eventually end up as a lawsuit. If someone files a lawsuit against you, you become a defendant, while they are the plaintiff. Lawsuits are always part of civil law, rather than criminal cases, involving something some kind of financial or personal loss. When you're embroiled in a lawsuit, you'll probably need to hire a lawyer. This legal term dates from the 17th century.
Vocabulary lists containing lawsuit
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.
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Sometimes the ghostwriting is too obvious, as when a piece carries the byline of a sympathetic plaintiff in a public-interest lawsuit but is written in the bloodless style of an appellate brief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Associated Press swiftly filed a lawsuit and the case remains ongoing.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Meta never notified him that his photos were being used to train NameTag but the lawsuit said he believes that’s happening.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Paramount is in advanced settlement talks with California officials aimed at resolving the antitrust lawsuit that stands in the way of the company’s $81 billion deal to acquire rival Warner Bros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The federal government, representing the Osage Nation, had filed a lawsuit against Enel, the Italian energy conglomerate that owned the wind farm.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
In Virginia, buyers should expect the condo association to provide potential buyers with a booklet disclosing any pending lawsuits, any planned big repairs and the amount of financial reserves they have, Colgan said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
As Meta prepares to release new wearables, privacy fears surrounding its artificial intelligence glasses have triggered fresh lawsuits against the social media giant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
But those sales drew lawsuits from buyers who said the art they received didn't meet their expectations.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Driscoll’s has filed more than 20 lawsuits against companies in China, some of which it has said took its proprietary blueberry plants, propagated them and sold them to rival growers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
When Walter, who could barely read or write, failed to file the various pleadings, writs, motions, and lawsuits the other prisoners had advised him to file, they blamed him for his predicament.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
