litigants

noun

plural of litigant
as in defendants
law someone who brings a legal action against another person or against whom a legal action is brought Both litigants chose to represent themselves in court.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of litigants The litigants claim the companies intentionally designed their platforms to keep young users hooked. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026 Both litigants laid out their theories, in separate appearances, about the motivations of Bonta’s lawsuit, supported by 11 other states, after a federal judge set a trial date for next March. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The request was filed under Section 1782, a federal statute that allows litigants in foreign proceedings to obtain evidence from people or companies located in the United States. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 31 July 2026 Attorneys for the litigants, Sunny Osment and David Pina, said the judicial branch failed to serve as a check on Caruso. — Jake Shore, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 Advocates have taken the matter to the California Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in June 2026 on whether the state must electronically record proceedings for litigants who cannot afford a reporter when none is available. — K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 17 July 2026 As more litigants represent themselves in court, judges must also ensure proceedings remain accessible while maintaining strict neutrality. — Schnelle Tonge, Sun Sentinel, 16 July 2026 Whether there are sufficient facts necessary to satisfy the UPEPA standard ― which is essentially the summary judgment standard ― may be a close call where the litigants will not know until the court ultimately rules. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 With no real movement from the federal government, state and local law enforcement—along with private litigants—have begun pushing for access to evidence. — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for litigants
  1. defendants
  2. parties
  3. plaintiffs
Noun
  • The defendants’ decision not to question a witness did not amount to carrying out the agreements, the government argued, because the agreements did not require that action and the defendants had not withdrawn their pending motions.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Under Schrama's 11-page order, Mohammed and three co-defendants — Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin 'Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali — will stand trial starting on June 5, 2028.
    — Steve Gorman, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of defendants
Noun
  • Those deals took place under multiple presidential administrations of both parties, and various FTC leaders.
    — Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The district says it should be allowed to use the existing law and that any major changes to California's fiscal oversight system should go through the normal legislative process, including public hearings and input from all involved parties.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of parties
Noun
  • Vetting plaintiffs Hanaway said that her office reached out to Cacioppo after a referral from local business associations.
    — Jack Harvel August 26, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026
  • In earlier testimony at the Oakland trial, Francesco Fogu, Instagram’s director of product design, had contentious exchanges with the plaintiffs’ lawyer over internal chats and documents shown to the jury.
    — Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of plaintiffs

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Cite this Entry

“Litigants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litigants. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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