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.
See Examples For:
The environmental nonprofit Surfrider Foundation also filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration, alleging that the FAA failed to properly assess the Boca Chica facility’s environmental impact on the local ecosystem.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
The states involved in the lawsuit represent nearly two-thirds of the country's population.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Citing the affordability burden, the lawsuit claims that the Section 301 tariffs do the same thing.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
He died about 19 hours after checking into the facility, the lawsuit says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
“You think they’d let people on the thing if it wasn’t safe? Nobody wants a lawsuit, Scoob-a-doob.”
From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone
“These two lawsuits are the only barrier to closing this transaction.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
He has filed meritless lawsuits against media companies and social media platforms and extorted large monetary settlements.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
Eli Lilly has filed six new lawsuits against U.S. entities that it alleges are selling a version of the company’s investigational weight-loss drug on the black market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The city is still facing lawsuits stemming from the 2020 protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“You don’t know. You two are too busy with lawsuits and stupid things like that.”
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
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.
