litigator
AmericanUsage
What does litigator mean? A litigator is a lawyer, especially one who specializes in civil cases. To litigate is to engage in a legal proceeding, such as a lawsuit. It can mean to bring a lawsuit or to contest one. The word especially refers to what litigators do in such a proceeding. Less commonly, litigator can refer to a person engaged in a lawsuit. However, a more common word for this is litigant. The process of engaging in a legal proceeding is called litigation. To be in litigation typically means to be engaged in a civil legal proceeding (as opposed to a criminal one, in which one is said to be on trial). Example: He was a prominent litigator in the ’80s before he became a prosecutor.
Etymology
Origin of litigator
First recorded in 1900–05; litigate ( def. ) + -or 2 ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Despite his lack of experience as a civil litigator, McKinney also said he could bring down the city’s litigation costs, which exploded under Feldstein Soto.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
And Supreme Court litigator Neal Katyal dishes about how he mentally prepped for the case that struck down Trump’s tariffs.
From Slate • May 8, 2026
In arguing his case for punitive damages, Kaley's attorney Mark Lanier - a folksy Texas litigator - had shown the jury a jar of M&Ms.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
When Christopher Clark, a litigator at a boutique law firm, raised his hourly rate to the once-unthinkable level of $3,000, he said he didn’t receive pushback from clients.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
He proved to be an outstanding litigator and an extremely effective project manager.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
