petition
Americannoun
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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
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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
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petitionsimple
-
petitionssimple
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have petitionedperfect
-
has petitionedperfect
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am petitioningprogressive
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are petitioningprogressive
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is petitioningprogressive
-
have been petitioningperfect progressive
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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:
Pike's lawyers, who filed a 226-page clemency petition, hoped for a last-minute reprieve of her execution, but it was rejected, while United Nations human rights experts had also called for the execution to be stopped.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
The state accused Pike of filing “a second and successive habeas petition in disguise that presses a claim she already unsuccessfully presented.”
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
About 1,000 people have signed a petition against the scheme claiming it could put strain on the energy grid and see household bills "rocket".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Hayden Panettiere’s ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko has filed an urgent petition to act as their 11-year-old daughter’s temporary representative in California court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
In addition, the women pledged to collect one million signatures on a petition supporting the Thirteenth Amendment.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
This coming week, as the new term of the highest court in the U.S. gets under way, thousands of petitions will vie for the justices’ consideration.
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
James Brass, 47, of Victorville allegedly managed a team of signature collectors and also collected signatures himself for ballot petitions used to shape California law, according to a federal indictment returned Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
As the question lingers as to how Fortune died, petitions online signed by tens of thousands of people have called for more transparency, and members of US Congress have asked for federal intervention.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Her uncle’s terse petitions were hard enough to endure; this prayer, she knew, would be a lengthy masterpiece.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Eighteen parishioners successfully petitioned the Duke of Beaufort to remove Byfield from the position.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
For five years, Sister Schubert’s fans asked, begged and eventually petitioned for the return of a frozen food composed of two things: a small smoked sausage and a soft Parker House roll.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
Over the years, Narwat has petitioned chief minister, MPs and district officials, and written to the National Human Rights Commission, seeking improvements to the two Khedi Kalan schools.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
The trust fund fight began in June, when Reiner first petitioned for the money in probate court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Before long, they petitioned the state to change the prison’s name back to Sing Sing, and in 1983, the state did.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
Cherneff: Almost immediately after emancipation in Maryland, there were reports of parents petitioning for the freedom of their children.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
But when Hopkins began petitioning Amazon to stop selling any other titles that contain the word, she crossed a line.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 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
He will read another letter from Etta declaring that Alex can continue to do community service at Shady Glen and another from the boy’s aunt and uncle, petitioning to remain his guardians.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
