Meaning & use
litigating
Last updated
“litigating” is a form of “litigate”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitiveformallegallaw
Taking a disagreement to a court of law and arguing it there formally.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'against' or 'over': litigating against a company.
Patterns
- litigating against someone
- litigating over something
- litigating in court
The two firms are litigating over the ownership of the patent.
She has been litigating against her former employer for months.
Litigating in court is expensive and slow, so many cases settle early.
verbtransitiveformallegallaw
Carrying on a legal case as a lawyer on behalf of a client.
Grammar: Takes an object: litigating a case or a claim.
Patterns
- litigating a case
- litigating a claim
- litigating a dispute
The attorney is litigating a complex fraud case in federal court.
They spent years litigating the claim before reaching a settlement.
He specializes in litigating intellectual property disputes.
Word forms
| base form | litigate |
|---|---|
| third person singular | litigates |
| past tense | litigated |
| past participle | litigated |
| present participle | litigating |
Common combinations
- litigating a case
- She is litigating a case that could change the industry.
- litigating against someone
- The company is litigating against its former partner.
- litigating over something
- They are litigating over the terms of the contract.
- litigating in court
- Litigating in court can take years and cost a fortune.
- spend time litigating
- The firm spent months litigating the dispute.
Synonyms and how they differ
- suing
- More common in everyday speech; it focuses on bringing a claim against someone, while 'litigating' stresses the whole court process.
- prosecuting
- Used mainly for criminal cases brought by the state, not for private civil disputes.
- contesting
- Means formally opposing something; it can happen outside court and is less specific than 'litigating'.
Opposites
Word family
- litigation noun
- The process of taking a legal dispute to court.
- litigant noun
- A person or company involved in a lawsuit.
- litigator noun
- A lawyer who handles court cases.
- litigious adjective
- Too ready to go to court; often critical.
Commonly confused: litigating or litigating vs. litigating?
litigating vs litigating vs. litigating
No confusion; ensure you don't mix it up with 'litigating' and 'legislating' (making laws).
Practice
The company is ___ its former supplier over a broken contract.
Choose one answer.
'Litigating against' is the standard phrase when you are in a legal dispute with someone. 'Litigating' alone needs a direct object like 'a case', and 'litigating with' or 'for' do not convey the adversarial relationship.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “litigating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.