lawsuit
Americannoun
-
lawsuits
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lawsuit
Compare meaning
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.
See Examples For:
Ross and Wynn are asking the court to overturn the tax and reimburse them for the costs of this lawsuit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
It is understood that Oura's decision to delay an IPO is not connected to the lawsuit.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
The defendants have pursued various strategies to have the case dismissed before reaching trial, including arguing that federal law preempts the legal claims raised in the lawsuit.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison can proclaim victory after settling a lawsuit with state attorneys general that held up his company’s merger with Warner Bros.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
No lawsuit was going to make my fantasy of a different life with my mother come true.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ellen Gabler on what can go wrong when investors stand to profit from personal-injury lawsuits.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
They’ve researched history and the law, war-gamed what-ifs, divvied up responsibilities and drafted emergency lawsuits and temporary restraining orders so they can be hurried into court at a moment’s notice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
It ends a lawsuit alleging TikTok is intentionally designed to addict children to its features, mirroring a host of lawsuits against social media platforms.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
That has prompted lawsuits from angry states, which collect billions of dollars in tax revenue from sports-betting platforms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
And although he’d gotten around all the lawsuits by settling them, the criminal investigation wouldn’t go away.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
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.
