Standard Lemma guide

lawsuit

noun · verb · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: lôʹs(j)o͞ot'
  • UK: /ˈlɔːˌs(j)uːt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: lôʹs(j)o͞ot'
  • US: /ˈlɔˌs(j)ut/
  • cot-caught-merger: läʹs(j)o͞ot'
  • cot-caught-merger: /ˈlɑˌs(j)ut/
  • CMU ARPABET: L AO1 S UW2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

In civil law, a case where two or more people disagree and one or more of the parties take the case to a court for resolution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

Examples

  • The lawyer advised his client against filing a lawsuit as it would take a lot of time and money to resolve.
  • My ex-fiancé filed a lawsuit against me for a false restraining order and defamation.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: litigation

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To bring a lawsuit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the family brought suit against the landlord

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: suit, case, cause, causa

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: proceeding, legal proceeding, proceedings

Narrower terms: civil suit, class action, class-action suit, countersuit, criminal suit, moot, paternity suit, bastardy proceeding

History

Etymology

From law + suit.

Across languages

Translations

99 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: saak — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Arabic: دَعْوَى (daʕwā) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Armenian: հայց (haycʻ) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Azerbaijani: dava — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Azerbaijani: iddia — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Belarusian: іск (isk) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Belarusian: пазо́ў (pazów) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Bulgarian: съде́бен проце́с (sǎdében procés) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Bulgarian: иск (isk) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Catalan: plet — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Catalan: litigi — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Catalan: causa — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Chinese Cantonese: 訴訟 /诉讼 (sou3 zung6) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Chinese Cantonese: 官司 (gun1 si1) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Chinese Mandarin: 訴訟 /诉讼 (sùsòng) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Chinese Mandarin: 官司 (guānsi) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Czech: soudní proces — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Czech: proces — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Czech: soudní pře — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Danish: retssag — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Dutch: rechtszaak — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Dutch: zaak — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Esperanto: proceso — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Esperanto: juĝafero — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Finnish: siviilikanne — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Finnish: kanne — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Finnish: oikeusjuttu — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • French: poursuite judiciaire — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • French: procès — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • French: poursuite — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Galician: preito — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Galician: litixio — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • German: Gerichtsverfahren — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • German: Rechtsstreit — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • German: Prozess — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • German: Klage — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • German: Chlegti — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Greek: αγωγή (agogí) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Greek: μήνυση (mínysi) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Hindi: दावा (dāvā) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Hungarian: per — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Hungarian: kereset — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Hungarian: ügy — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Hungarian: panasz — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Hungarian: bírósági eljárás — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Irish: agra dlí — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Irish: cúis dlí — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Irish: tagra — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Italian: causa di tribunale — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Italian: causa — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Japanese: 訴訟 (soshō) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Kazakh: сот ісі (sot ısı) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Khmer: បណ្ដឹង (bɑɑbɑndəng) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Korean: 소송 (sosong) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Latin: līs — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Latin: dica — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Lithuanian: skundas — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Macedonian: парница (parnica) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Middle English: sute — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Middle English: questioun — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Middle English: askynge — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Middle English: accion — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Middle English: ple — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Mongolian: заалдлага (zaaldlaga) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Persian: دعویٰ (da'vâ) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Plautdietsch: Jerechtsstriet — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Polish: pozew — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Portuguese: processo judicial — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Portuguese: processo — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Portuguese: pleito — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Portuguese: ação penal — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Romanian: caz judiciar — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Romanian: proces — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Romanian: cauză — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Russian: иск (isk) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Russian: тя́жба (tjážba) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Russian: проце́сс (procéss) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Russian: суде́бный проце́сс (sudébnyj procéss) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Scottish Gaelic: cùis-lagha — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Slovak: súdny proces — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Spanish: proceso judicial — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Spanish: pleito — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Spanish: litigio — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Spanish: demanda judicial — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Swahili: kesi — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Tagalog: pleyto — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Tajik: даъво (da'vo) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Telugu: తగవు (tagavu) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Turkish: dava — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Ottoman Turkish: یارغو (yarğı) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Ottoman Turkish: دعوا (daʼva) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎔𐎉 (ṯpṭ) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Ukrainian: по́зов (pózov) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Ukrainian: судо́вий проце́с (sudóvyj procés) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Urdu: مُقَدَّمَہ (muqaddama) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Urdu: دعویٰ (da'vā) — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Welsh: achos cyfreithiol — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Welsh: achos cyfraith — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
  • Welsh: cyngaws — case where a court is needed to resolve differences
Real reading context

lawsuit in complete knowledge articles