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Law vocabulary · Lawsuits & Procedure

Dispute

Meaning in law, with examples

/dɪˈspjuːt/nounCore term

In law, dispute means: A serious disagreement between people or organisations about their rights, money or obligations, which may end up in court or arbitration if it is not resolved.

In Turkish: uyuşmazlık, ihtilaf, anlaşmazlık

How it is used

One of the most frequent words in legal work. A dispute 'arises' between parties, and lawyers try to 'resolve' or 'settle' it. Contracts often contain a 'dispute resolution clause' saying how disagreements will be handled. It is also a verb: 'The defendant disputes the claim.'

Example sentences

  1. The dispute arose when the supplier refused to replace the faulty machines.

  2. Both companies want to resolve the dispute without going to court.

Common collocations

  • resolve a dispute
  • a dispute arises
  • legal dispute
  • dispute resolution
  • settle a dispute
  • litigationThe process of taking a dispute to court and pursuing it there through claims, hearings and judgments, as opposed to settling it privately.
  • arbitrationA private way of resolving a dispute in which the parties agree to let one or more independent arbitrators decide it, usually with a final and binding result.
  • mediationA process in which a neutral person, the mediator, helps the parties to a dispute talk and reach their own agreement; the mediator does not decide the case.
  • settlementAn agreement that ends a legal dispute without a court decision, usually with one side paying an agreed amount to the other.
  • claimA formal demand for money, property or another remedy, especially one made in court; also a statement that something is true which has not yet been proved.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Lawsuits & Procedure

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.