verb phrase · neutral
take someone to court
UK/teɪk ˈsʌmwʌn tuː kɔːt/US/teɪk ˈsʌm.wʌn tu kɔrt/TAKE some·ONE to COURT
to start legal proceedings against someone in a court of law
Examples
“After being scammed, she took the company to court.”
“The landlord threatened to take him to court over unpaid rent.”
“If negotiations fail, you can take the case to court.”
Band 8 sentence
“Frustrated by repeated breaches of contract, the small business decided to take the retailer to court to recover its losses.”
Collocations
- take sb to court over
- take legal action
Word family
Common mistakes
He took to court the company.→He took the company to court.
He went the company to court.→He took the company to court.
Say it for a higher band
5sue→6file a lawsuit→7+take someone to court
Synonyms
file a lawsuit
sue someone
Easily confused
file a lawsuit
“They filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer for breach of contract.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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