litigate
LIT-ih-gayt
/ˈlɪtɪɡeɪt/
To resort to legal action to settle a matter; to contest or carry on a lawsuit in court.
Refers to the complete process of carrying on formal judicial proceedings before a court.
The story behind the word. From Latin litigatus, past participle of litigare ('to dispute, quarrel, or strive at law'). Composed of lis (genitive litis, meaning 'lawsuit or dispute') and agere ('to drive, carry on, or do'). To litigate is literally to drive a lawsuit forward through the legal system.
Word relationships
- sue: Less formal, common verb for initiating civil legal action.
- prosecute: Used primarily in criminal law for government-led legal trials.
- arbitrate: Resolving disputes through a neutral private arbitrator outside formal court.
- settle: Resolving a legal grievance by mutual agreement without going to trial.
Commonly confused with
- arbitrate: Litigating involves formal public courtroom proceedings, while arbitrating uses a private third party.
Word family
- litigation (noun): The process of taking legal action.
- litigant (noun): A person involved in a lawsuit.
- litigious (adjective): Tending to resort to legal action frequently.
Collocations
- litigate a dispute
- litigate claims
- re-litigate
- choose to litigate
Example sentences
- "Rather than litigate the dispute for years in court, the partners chose private arbitration." Corporate dispute resolution choice
- "The advocacy coalition expressed readiness to litigate if the government approved the controversial pipeline." Environmental group strategy
Memory hook
LITIGATE = LIS (lawsuit) + AGATE (drive forward in court). To carry on a suit in court.
When not to use
Do not use for informal arguments or out-of-court discussions that do not involve court filings.
Fun facts
- The adjective form 'litigious' describes societies or individuals extraordinarily inclined to file lawsuits over minor grievances.
Related words
Explore more words
litigation, adjudicate, prosecute, arbitrate, dispute, testify
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