petition

noun pe·ti·tion \ pə-ˈti-shən \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Examples: petition in a Sentence

Definition of petition

1 : an earnest request : entreaty

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

b : a document embodying such a formal written request

3 : something asked or requested

—

petitionary

play \pə-ˈti-shə-ˌner-ē\ adjective

See petition defined for English-language learners

See petition defined for kids

Examples of petition in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of petition from the Web

And fans agreed, with hundreds of thousands of people signing a Change.org petition to keep the sitcom on the air.

— megan friedman, Country Living, "How ‘Last Man Standing’ Went From Hit Sitcom, to Canceled, to Revived For Its Seventh Season," 11 July 2018
Business Insider reports that a backlash to the Costco menu changes has begun: Fans have been expressing their displeasure on social media, and a Change.org petition was gathering signatures to bring the dogs back.

— author: maura judkis, Anchorage Daily News, "Costco is taking Polish hot dogs off its food court menu. Fans are grieving – and angry.," 10 July 2018
As of Thursday, a Change.org petition demanding justice has over 2,500 signatures.

— monique judge, The Root, "Who Killed Tupac? Las Vegas Police Have Been Reviewing the Case Again But No Arrest is Imminent," 5 July 2018
More than 19,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging the East Pittsburgh police force to require the use of body cameras.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Antwon Rose shooting: Funeral mourners honor black teen killed by police," 25 June 2018
A few years ago, a fan even started a change.org petition to get more WNBA jerseys in major retail stores.

— shira springer, BostonGlobe.com, "Here are nine changes that would be good for women’s sports," 22 June 2018
The designs quickly gained traction and not long after, a change.org petition was created, which gathered over 37,000 signatures.

— tynan sinks, Allure, "What the M.A.C. x Aaliyah Collection Says About the Legacy of Celebrity Beauty," 20 June 2018
Not long after Persky handed down his ruling, a recall effort started, with a Change.org petition receiving more than 1.3 million supporters.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "Another #MeToo Win: Californians Recall Judge in Brock Turner Rape Case," 6 June 2018
Reaction to Persky’s ruling resulted in 1.3 million signatures on a Change.org petition to recall him and triggered an examination of his record.

— gabriel baumgaertner, SI.com, "Brock Turner, the 'Athlete Bias,' and the Movement That Produced the Recall of Judge Aaron Persky," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of petition

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

petition Synonyms

Synonyms

appeal, cry, desire, entreaty, plea, pleading, prayer, solicitation, suit, supplication;

Related Words

application, requisition;

call, claim, demand, insistence;

petition

verb

Definition of petition

petitioned; petitioning play \pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)niŋ\

transitive verb

: to make a request to : solicit

intransitive verb

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

—

petitioner

play \pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)nər\ noun

See petition defined for English-language learners

Examples of petition in a Sentence

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 of petition from the Web

But other residents took offense at the name change and petitioned the city to reverse the decision.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "What's in a name? San Diego struggles with naming parks after community volunteers," 1 July 2018
One possibility was Janus, which was launched in 2015 when Gov. Rauner petitioned a federal court to approve his executive order banning agency fees.

— james taranto, WSJ, "The Lawyers Who Beat the Unions," 29 June 2018
Although veterans have been petitioning for decades for improved pensions, jobs and medical care upon leaving the PLA, frustration has been bubbling in recent months.

— Washington Post, "Large army veteran protests in China pose challenge for Xi," 28 June 2018
Refugee advocates staged protests at Rwandan embassies around the world and petitioned the Israeli courts to halt the expulsion program on legal grounds.

— brian goldstone, The New Republic, "Essential reporting, interpretation, and opinion on politics and culture. Don't miss our latest.," 26 June 2018
In some states, families, medical professionals, and law enforcement officers can petition the treatment facility directly, without a judge’s order.

— Fox News, "Should people with drug addictions be forced into rehab?," 24 June 2018
Under President Obama, the Central American Minors Program mandated DNA testing to verify the relationships between unaccompanied children petitioning to join their parents in the US.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "Family DNA Testing at the Border Would Be an Ethical Quagmire," 22 June 2018
The Cherokee School Board adopted a resolution in March, petitioning Woodstock to annex the school site.

— david ibata, ajc, "Woodstock moves to annex middle, high schools," 21 June 2018
The ripple effect started with One Rock Capital Partners, a New York private equity firm that bought a paper mill in Longview, Wash., and then petitioned the Trump commerce department for tariffs against Canadian paper.

— erin arvedlund, Philly.com, "Trump's commerce department put a tariff on Canadian paper that jacked up all U.S. newsprint prices," 11 June 2018

First Known Use of petition

1607

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

petition Synonyms

Phrases

call on (or upon);

PETITION Defined for English Language Learners

petition

verb

Definition of petition for English Language Learners

: to ask (a person, group, or organization) for something in a formal way

PETITION Defined for Kids

petition

noun pe·ti·tion \ pə-ˈti-shən \

Definition of petition for Students

1 : an earnest appeal

2 : a formal written request made to an authority

petition

verb

Definition of petition for Students

petitioned; petitioning

: to make an often formal request to or for

—

petitioner

noun

Law Dictionary

petition

noun pe·ti·tion

legal Definition of petition

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

transitive verb

legal Definition of petition

: to direct a petition to

petition the court

intransitive verb

: to make a petition

petition for relief

—

petitioner

noun

Learn More about petition

See words that rhyme with petition Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for petition Spanish Central: Translation of petition Nglish: Translation of petition for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of petition for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about petition

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petition

Definition of petition

petitionary

Examples of petition in a Sentence

Recent Examples of petition from the Web

Origin and Etymology of petition

petition Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

petition

Definition of petition

petitioner

Examples of petition in a Sentence

Recent Examples of petition from the Web

First Known Use of petition

petition Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

PETITION Defined for English Language Learners

petition

Definition of petition for English Language Learners

PETITION Defined for Kids

petition

Definition of petition for Students

petition

Definition of petition for Students

petitioner

Law Dictionary

petition

legal Definition of petition

petition

legal Definition of petition

petitioner

Learn More about petition

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