lawsuit

lawsuit — noun

1. a formal legal case that one person, group, or company starts against another in

1.nounB2
Definition

a formal legal case that one person, group, or company starts against another in a court, asking a judge to decide who is right or to order payment for harm done

Example

Eri filed a lawsuit against her former business partner over unpaid profits.

collocation: file + lawsuit + against

A lawsuit was brought against the factory by residents who complained about the air pollution.

passive: be brought against + [entity]

Common collocations
  • file a lawsuit
  • bring a lawsuit
  • settle a lawsuit
  • win a lawsuit
  • lose a lawsuit
  • lawsuit against
  • class-action lawsuit
  • frivolous lawsuit
Synonyms
  • case

    broader term; can refer to any legal matter, both civil and criminal

  • suit

    shorter legal term; used interchangeably in formal legal documents

  • legal action

    more general phrase; describes the act of going to court rather than the case itself

  • litigation

    uncountable noun; refers to the entire legal process, not a single case

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

file + lawsuit + against + person/organization

bring + lawsuit + against + person/organization

settle + lawsuit + out of court

Usage Note

Frequently appears with verbs like 'file,' 'bring,' 'settle,' 'win,' and 'lose.' In informal conversation, 'case' or 'legal case' is used more often than 'lawsuit.'

Common Mistakes

I will lawsuit you if you don't pay.
I will file a lawsuit against you if you don't pay.
'Lawsuit' is a noun, not a verb. Use 'sue' (verb) or 'file a lawsuit.'
They sued a lawsuit against the company.
They filed a lawsuit against the company.
You 'sue' a person or organization; you 'file' or 'bring' a lawsuit.

Word family

  • sue
    verbB2
  • suable
    adjectiveC1
  • suing
    nounC1
  • litigator
    nounC1
  • litigation
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms relate to legal disputes, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Lawsuit' is the most specific ordinary word for a civil legal case brought by one party against another — it names the single case itself. 'Case' is much broader: it covers civil lawsuits, criminal trials, and even legal matters that never go to court (e.g., 'the lawyer reviewed the case'). 'Suit' is a shorter, more technical synonym for 'lawsuit' used in law documents and news headlines; it sounds more formal. 'Litigation' is uncountable and refers to the whole process of taking a dispute through the court system — you can have one lawsuit but years of litigation. Choose 'lawsuit' for everyday news about a specific civil dispute, 'case' for general legal discussions, 'suit' in formal or abbreviated contexts, and 'litigation' when talking about the process or duration of legal action.

lawsuit ↗case ↗suit ↗litigation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • class-action lawsuit
  • civil lawsuit
  • frivolous lawsuit
  • defamation lawsuit

Phrases

  • file a lawsuit
  • bring a lawsuit
  • settle a lawsuit
  • drop a lawsuit
  • lose a lawsuit
  • win a lawsuit
  • out of court

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishAnglo-FrenchEnglish

'Lawsuit' is a compound of two Old English and Anglo-French roots. 'Law' comes from Old English 'lagu,' meaning a rule or ordinance. 'Suit' comes from Anglo-French 'suite' (a following or pursuit), which in legal contexts came to mean the act of pursuing a claim through court. Together they formed 'lawsuit' in the 1600s, literally meaning 'a legal pursuit' — the idea of following up on a complaint through the courts.