petition
Americannoun
-
petitions
plural
-
a formally drawn request, often bearing the names of a number of those making the request, that is addressed to a person or group of persons in authority or power, soliciting some favor, right, mercy, or other benefit.
a petition for clemency; a petition for the repeal of an unfair law.
- Synonyms:
- suit
-
a request made for something desired, especially a respectful or humble request, as to a superior or to one of those in authority; a supplication or prayer.
a petition for aid; a petition to God for courage and strength.
- Synonyms:
- appeal, solicitation, entreaty
-
something that is sought by request or entreaty.
to receive one's full petition.
-
Law. an application for a court order or for some judicial action.
verb (used with object)
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petitions,
present (3rd person singular)
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petitioned,
past participle, past
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petitioning
present participle
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to beg for or request (something).
-
to address a formal petition to (a sovereign, a legislative body, etc.).
He received everything for which he had petitioned the king.
-
to ask by petition for (something).
noun
-
a written document signed by a large number of people demanding some form of action from a government or other authority
-
any formal request to a higher authority or deity; entreaty
-
law a formal application in writing made to a court asking for some specific judicial action
a petition for divorce
-
the action of petitioning
verb
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(tr) to address or present a petition to (a person in authority, government, etc)
to petition Parliament
-
to seek by petition
to petition for a change in the law
Synonym Usage
See appeal.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterpetitionnoun
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petitionernoun
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petitionistnoun
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prepetitionnoun
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re-petitionverb (used with object)
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petitionableadjective
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petitionaryadjective
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unpetitionedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
petitionsimple
-
petitionssimple
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have petitionedperfect
-
has petitionedperfect
-
am petitioningprogressive
-
are petitioningprogressive
-
is petitioningprogressive
-
have been petitioningperfect progressive
-
has been petitioningperfect progressive
Past
-
petitionedsimple
-
had petitionedperfect
-
was petitioningprogressive
-
were petitioningprogressive
-
had been petitioningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of petition
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English peticioun, from Middle French peticion, from Latin petītiōn-, stem of petītiō “an attack, request,” from petīt(us) “assaulted, sought” (past participle of petere “to assault, head for, seek”) + -iō -ion
Explanation
If you're angry about the new rule that you have to wear bright pink shoes to work every day, why not write up a petition, get all your co-workers to sign it, and submit it to your boss? Petition comes from the Anglo-Norman word peticiun, meaning "demand, request," and when you petition someone, you ask them to consider your request. If you write up a statement against the town's approval of a new carnival district and collect signatures from 100 neighbors to turn in to the city government, that's a petition. If you pray to the carnival gods to rain down ruin on the carnival, that's also a petition — and no signatures needed.
Vocabulary lists containing petition
The Bill of Rights
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Election Lingo
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Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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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.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile, Britain's Privy Council -- the final court of appeal for UK overseas territories -- will next year hear a petition for slavery reparations filed by Jamaica.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
An online petition with over a million signatures has asked Globo to implement a live fact-checking system for claims made by both candidates during the debate.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
A group of citizens began circulating a petition late in July to give residents the ability to vote on whether data centers should be allowed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
The vote was called earlier this year by the province's leader, Danielle Smith, in response to a public petition.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Finally, on the day before the execution, I filed a petition for review and a motion for a stay of execution in the U.S.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
Some Airbnb hosts aren’t happy, especially about the dirty dishes policy, and have started petitions to reverse the new policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
But the same research suggests they are also more sceptical about democratic institutions and less engaged by political protests or petitions.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
The Supreme Court typically receives between 7,000 and 8,000 petitions in a given term, and it grants full review and argument to about 1%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Most obviously, Justice Brett Kavanaugh acts as the circuit justice who is assigned primary responsibility for reviewing petitions from the 8th Circuit.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
They chose a spot close to the exposition’s fairgrounds so that people attending the events would walk past the headquarters and could be asked to sign petitions about women’s rights.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
After being stung by the price swings, farmers petitioned Congress, and future U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
The Fr Willie Doyle Association petitioned the Irish Church to support its proposal for his canonisation, and the Church opened a diocesan inquiry in 2022.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
The lawsuit, filed in South Carolina state court on Thursday by Atlantic Coast Life Insurance Co. and Southern Atlantic Re, comes days after state Insurance Director Michael Wise petitioned to place both companies into rehabilitation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Eighteen parishioners successfully petitioned the Duke of Beaufort to remove Byfield from the position.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
The United Mine Workers of America petitioned for a special prosecutor in an effort to insure an unbiased prosecution, dateline: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1923.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
Convincing individuals of this, particularly those personally affected like the petitioning New Yorkers, will be the hardest part of moving forward.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Cherneff: Almost immediately after emancipation in Maryland, there were reports of parents petitioning for the freedom of their children.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Alison Fure, 68, is petitioning Kingston Council to begin phasing out plastic decorative items, including ornaments, flowers, and windmills, on graves.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Constellation is petitioning the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bypass that delay.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Danny tells them that they have to keep petitioning the school to claim justice.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
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