Word
lawsuit
Phoneticslaw·suit, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɫɔˌsut/
UK/lˈɔːsuːt/
Definitions
01legal case
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law
n. a formal disagreement that people take to a court of law so a judge can decide who is right.
n. a case in civil law where one or more parties bring a dispute before a court for resolution.
日本語:訴訟※
“The company faced a massive lawsuit after their product caused several injuries.”
“The environmental group filed a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer, alleging that toxic runoff had contaminated the local water supply for decades.”
Usage
Commonly used with the verbs 'file', 'bring', or 'win'.
Synonyms
02to sue
C2 · Proficiency Law Archaic
v. to start a legal case against someone.
v. to initiate or pursue a legal claim against a person or entity in a court of law.
日本語:訴訟する※
“In the old story, the merchant threatened to lawsuit his rival over the broken contract.”
“The historical documents reveal an era where individuals would frequently lawsuit one another over minor property boundary disputes.”
Usage
This verb form is extremely rare in modern English; 'to sue' is the standard equivalent.
Teaching tip
While historically recorded as a verb, modern speakers exclusively use 'sue' for the action and 'lawsuit' for the noun.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “lawsuit” in context.
Verb
01. dismiss a lawsuit
“The judge chose to dismiss the lawsuit due to a lack of sufficient evidence.”
verb + noun
02. file a lawsuit
“The former employees decided to file a lawsuit against the company for wrongful termination.”
verb + noun
03. settle a lawsuit
“Both parties agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court to avoid further legal expenses.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. frivolous lawsuit
“The tech giant claimed it was a frivolous lawsuit intended only to damage their reputation.”
adj + noun
05. pending lawsuit
“The CEO refused to comment on the matter because of a pending lawsuit.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. class-action lawsuit
“Thousands of consumers joined the class-action lawsuit against the pharmaceutical firm.”
noun + noun
07. threat of a lawsuit
“The developer backed down immediately under the threat of a lawsuit from the neighborhood association.”
noun + of + noun
08. lawsuit filed
Real-World Examples
“The claimants' lawsuit alleges Wondermind failed to meet "even its most basic obligations, such as timely paying its employees and vendors".” “ExxonMobil has described the lawsuits against it as “meritless” .” Etymology
From law + suit.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/lawsuit
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0