petition

¹pe·ti·tion

noun \pə-ˈti-shən\

Definition of PETITION

1

: an earnest request : entreaty

2

a : a formal written request made to an official person or organized body (as a court)

b : a document embodying such a formal written request

3

: something asked or requested

— pe·ti·tion·ary \-ˈti-shə-ˌner-ē\ adjective

Examples of PETITION

1. They collected 2,000 signatures on a petition demanding that women be allowed to join the club.
2. Would you like to sign our petition?
3. We presented a petition to the legislature to change the law.
4. She filed a petition for divorce.
5. We ask you to hear our petition.

Origin of PETITION

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

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to PETITION

Synonyms

adjuration, appeal, conjuration, cry, desire, entreaty, plea, pleading, prayer, solicitation, suit, suppliance, supplication

Related Words

application, requisition; call, claim, demand, insistence

Rhymes with PETITION

addition, admission, ambition, attrition, audition, beautician, clinician, cognition, coition, commission, condition, contrition, demission, dentition, dismission, Domitian, edition, emission, ethician, fruition, ignition, Kittitian, lenition, logician, magician, Mauritian, monition, mortician, munition, musician, nutrition, omission, optician, partition, patrician, perdition, permission, Phoenician, physician, Politian, position, punition, remission, rendition, sedition, submission, suspicion, tactician, technician, tradition, transition, transmission, tuition, volition

²petition

verb

pe·ti·tionedpe·ti·tion·ing \-ˈti-sh(ə-)niŋ\

Definition of PETITION

transitive verb

: to make a request to : solicit

intransitive verb

: to make a request; especially : to make a formal written request

— pe·ti·tion·er \-sh(ə-)nər\ noun

Examples of PETITION

1. The organization petitioned the government to investigate the issue.
2. All people had the right to petition the king for help.
3. She petitioned to join their club.

First Known Use of PETITION

1607

Related to PETITION

Synonyms

appeal (to), beseech, besiege, conjure, entreat, impetrate, implore, importune, beg, plead (to), pray, solicit, supplicate

Related Words

bludge [chiefly Australian & New Zealand], cadge, mooch, sponge; ask, desire, invoke, request, sue; claim, coerce, command, compel, demand, force, insist, require

Near Antonyms

hint, imply, intimate, suggest; appease, conciliate, gratify, mollify, oblige, pacify, placate, please, satisfy; comfort, console, content, quiet

Rhymes with PETITION

ambition, audition, commission, condition, munition, partition, patrician, Phoenician, position, suspicion, transition

petition

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Written instrument directed to an individual, government official, legislative body, or court in order to seek redress of grievances or to request a favour. In some jurisdictions, petitions brought by a sufficient number of people (represented by their signatures) are used to place a candidate on a ballot, to submit an issue to the electorate (see referendum and initiative), or to exert pressure on legislators to vote in a certain way. In the U.S., the right to petition is guaranteed by the 1st Amendment to the Constitution.