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.

The New York Times had petitioned the judge in White Plains, New York, to unseal the note, arguing there was no need to keep it secret.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Charles had petitioned Andrew to move into humbler accommodation and had even stopped paying for his private security to force his brother’s hand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

News outlets, including the Washington Post, CNN and the Associated Press, had petitioned to open the hearing to the public and unseal documents, arguing that it was in the public interest.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2024

Democracy activists had petitioned the country’s top court in 2017 to declare the new fund-raising model unconstitutional, on the grounds that it lacked transparency and denied a level playing field to different parties.

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2024

The American president, J « Harry Truman, had petitioned Congress to allow tens of thousands of concentration camp survivors to immigrate to the United States.

From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren