petition

1 of 2

noun

pe·​ti·​tion pə-ˈti-shən How to pronounce petition (audio)
plural petitions
1
a
: a formal written request made to an authority or organized body (such as a court)
filing a petition for divorce
Her defense lawyer had petitioned the court to videotape Scott's testimony about Hearst before he died, but the petition was denied.Robert Lipsyte
b
: a written request or call for change signed by many people in support of a shared cause or concern
Hundreds of contributors and readers signed a petition circulated by the National Book Critics Circle, urging the Post to save the stand-alone section.Motoko Rich
Her group put together a petition signed by more than 100,000 consumers demanding that regulators crack down on companies who "robocall" consumers using automated dialers and recorded voices to market scams.Shawn Zeller
2
: an earnest request : entreaty
… he begged to sleep with Hareton, and his petition was granted for once.Emily Brontë
3
: something asked or requested
petitionary adjective

petition

2 of 2

verb

petitioned; petitioning pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce petition (audio) ; petitions
1
transitive : to make a request to (someone)
especially : to make a formal written request to (an authority)
His people petitioned the government for permission to use the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Taylor Branch
… to adopt "red-flag" laws, which allow police officers and family members to petition a court to bar dangerous individuals from possessing guns. Norman J. Ornstein
2
intransitive : to make a request
She neither petitioned for her right nor claimed it.George Meredith
especially : to make a formal written request
A year later he moved to Rome and petitioned to join the Jesuits, who gave him a university education and ordained him in 1586. Brian Vickers

Examples of petition in a Sentence

Noun They collected 2,000 signatures on a petition demanding that women be allowed to join the club. Would you like to sign our petition? We presented a petition to the legislature to change the law. She filed a petition for divorce. We ask you to hear our petition. Verb The organization petitioned the government to investigate the issue. All people had the right to petition the king for help. She petitioned to join their club.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Join 65 others in the comments View Comments In 2013, Abercrombie & Fitch garnered notoriety after a Change.org petition that gained nearly 80,00 signatures called for the company to introduce larger, more inclusive t-shirt sizes. Brynn Gingras, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024 That’s how many signatures Musk is aiming to get on his PAC’s petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024
Verb
The North Carolina judge who presided over the 1996 murder trial over the killing Michael Jordan’s father petitioned the state’s parole commission to release one of the men convicted in the case. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 17 Oct. 2024 Advance Colorado petitioned the measure and has a history of advocating for school choice. Jennifer Vilcarino, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for petition 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'petition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin petition-, petitio, from petere to seek, request — more at feather

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of petition was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near petition

Cite this Entry

“Petition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petition. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

petition

1 of 2 noun
pe·​ti·​tion pə-ˈtish-ən How to pronounce petition (audio)
1
: an earnest request : entreaty
2
: a formal written request made to a superior or authority

petition

2 of 2 verb
petitioned; petitioning -ˈtish-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce petition (audio)
: to make a request to or for
especially : to make a formal written request
petitioner noun

Legal Definition

petition

1 of 2 noun
pe·​ti·​tion
1
: a formal written request made to an official person or body (as a court or board)
a petition for equitable relief
the creditor filed a petition for involuntary bankruptcy
2
: a document embodying a formal written request

petition

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to direct a petition to
petition the court

intransitive verb

: to make a petition
petition for relief
petitioner noun

More from Merriam-Webster on petition

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