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
  • After the hearing, Ng told reporters that the defendants would appeal to the city's top court.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The other defendants — singer Denise Ho, scholar Hui Po Keung, and former pro-democracy lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho — also served as trustees.
    — Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of defendants
Noun
  • Davis directed the parties to treat discovery materials as protected from public disclosure while the litigation continues.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Freiden, who’s also the CEO of children’s toy brand Constructive Playthings, said changing interests in children’s birthday parties and a spike in rent contributed to the closure.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of parties
Noun
  • Lawyers for the state had argued that the policies were not as broad as the plaintiffs suggested.
    — Daniella Silva, NBC news, 2 Sep. 2026
  • That rule gave plaintiffs a chance to sue again, and Talwani on Thursday night issued a 14-day restraining order against implementation of the measure.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of plaintiffs

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litigants
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Cite this Entry

“Litigants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/litigants. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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