plural petitions
Definition of petition
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: 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
petition
verbDefinition of petition (Entry 2 of 2)
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for petition
The first known use of petition was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century