# lawsuit

/ˈɫɔˌsut/ (US) · /lˈɔːsuːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/lawsuit
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. legal case

noun · CEFR B2

a formal disagreement that people take to a court of law so a judge can decide who is right.

For teachers: a case in civil law where one or more parties bring a dispute before a court for resolution.

- 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'.

### 2. to sue

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic

to start a legal case against someone.

For teachers: to initiate or pursue a legal claim against a person or entity in a court of law.

- 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- The historical documents reveal an era where individuals would frequently lawsuit one another over minor property boundary disputes.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.

## Examples

- The company faces a major lawsuit over the faulty product.
- After the contract was broken, the small business filed a lawsuit to recover their lost profits.
- The environmental group initiated a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturer, alleging that decades of chemical runoff had contaminated the local groundwater and caused widespread health issues.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.