litigate

American  

[lit-i-geyt] / ˈlɪt ɪˌgeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• litigates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• litigated,
  past participle,  past
• litigating
  present participle

1. to make the subject of a lawsuit; contest at law.

2. Archaic. to dispute (a point, assertion, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

• litigates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• litigated,
  past participle,  past
• litigating
  present participle

1. to carry on a lawsuit.

litigate British  

/ ˈlɪtɪˌɡeɪt /

verb

1. to bring or contest (a claim, action, etc) in a lawsuit

2. (intr) to engage in legal proceedings

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Usage

What does litigate mean? To litigate is to engage in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. The word especially refers to what lawyers do in such a proceeding. In fact, another name for a lawyer is litigator, especially a lawyer who specializes in civil cases. The related word litigant refers to a person engaged in a lawsuit. The process of engaging in a legal proceeding is called litigation. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). Litigate can also be used in a somewhat figurative or general way meaning to intensely dispute or argue something, as if one were a lawyer in a courtroom setting, as in It’s just a minor issue—we don’t have to litigate it over and over again.  Example: They want to avoid having to litigate, so they’re going to try to get you to settle out of court.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• litigator
  noun
• relitigate
  verb (used with object)
• litigative
  adjective
• unlitigated
  adjective
• unlitigating
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• litigating
  present
• litigated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• litigate
  simple
• litigates
  simple
• have litigated
  perfect
• has litigated
  perfect
• am litigating
  progressive
• are litigating
  progressive
• is litigating
  progressive
• have been litigating
  perfect progressive
• has been litigating
  perfect progressive

Past

• litigated
  simple
• had litigated
  perfect
• was litigating
  progressive
• were litigating
  progressive
• had been litigating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will litigate
  simple
• will have litigated
  perfect
• will be litigating
  progressive
• will have been litigating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of litigate

First recorded in 1605–15, litigate is from the Latin word lītigātus (past participle of lītigāre to go to law). See litigant, -ate ¹

Explanation

To litigate is to engage in some sort of legal proceedings. Litigating mostly takes place in court. If you're litigating, you'd better have a lawyer: you're involved in some sort of legal situation. When you sue someone, that's litigating. The person sued is also forced to litigate. People accused of a crime have to litigate when they're on trial. There are many types of litigation. Lawyers usually specialize in one type of litigating, such as criminal law or corporate law. If you're ever on a jury, you'll get a closer look at how litigating works.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

litigate litigates litigated litigating

However, Paramount suspended such ambitions on Friday, agreeing to delay the merger until after a trial to litigate the merits of the antitrust case brought by Bonta and the other Democrats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

“She claims she had it in her milk with her child, and that’s what the insurance company took to settle, and we weren’t going to litigate it.”

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Defendants can choose to litigate in federal court, which can cost a significant amount of time and accumulate a mountain of legal fees.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

You know, usually when the government is sued, somebody from the government will enter an appearance and begin to litigate the case.

From Slate ● May 26, 2026

Joshua Carter and Robert Caston were the first two cases we decided to litigate.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

The Law Department has previously told ProPublica it takes its ethical responsibilities seriously and litigates each case with an open mind.

From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2023

From 2014 to 2019, Kacsmaryk served as deputy general counsel for First Liberty Institute, a Christian conservative nonprofit group that litigates on cases involving religious freedom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2023

De Palma, though, believes the opposite, and “Are Snakes Necessary?” litigates the competing claims.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 24, 2020

Ms. Lang, 31, is a senior legal counsel at the Campaign Legal Center in Washington, where she litigates voting rights and redistricting cases.

From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2017

Its website says it litigates for limited government, individual rights, equal protection and educational choice.

From Seattle Times ● May 4, 2016

Arm sought to terminate Qualcomm’s architecture license and litigated to stop the company from selling chips built around technology acquired from a fellow licensee, Nuvia, which specializes in data-center chips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The same was true of the Supreme Court’s foundational sex discrimination cases, many of which were either litigated by Ginsburg when she was an attorney or eventually decided by her as a justice.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

We know any such charges would be litigated to death, and by the time it finally came to trial, he might very well be dead, and the case would be moot.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

That feud is now being litigated in two separate lawsuits.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

We were still very actively litigating on behalf of condemned children in Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana—Southern states where we had litigated previously.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

“We hired 10 litigating attorneys last year,” he said.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

"After more than five years of litigating against Chris Brown, we are thrilled that we were able to get justice for our client, Patricia," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

But the repeal also made settlements less meaningful, because defendants can now assert that the SEC got everything wrong and they just settled because it was less costly than litigating.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

That tactic worked in the Live Nation case, when the states hired Jeffrey Kessler, known for litigating major sports-antitrust cases, to take the place of the Justice Department’s lead lawyers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

We were still very actively litigating on behalf of condemned children in Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana—Southern states where we had litigated previously.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• prosecute