petitioner

noun

pe·​ti·​tion·​er pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)nər How to pronounce petitioner (audio)
plural petitioners
: one who makes, submits, or signs a petition
The lost children had not been found. Public prayers had been offered up for them, and many and many a private prayer that had the petitioner's whole heart in it; but still no good news came from the cave.Mark Twain
The high court held that when a petition charges an official with violating the law, the petitioners must at least have knowledge of facts which indicate an intent to commit an unlawful act.The National Law Journal
The petitioner contended that the taking of the blood sample and the admission of the test results violated his fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination …Raymond P. Ward
… the draft of the proposed petition was read at length: and the petition said, as all petitions DO say, that the petitioners were very humble, and the petitioned very honourable, and the object very virtuous; therefore (said the petition) the bill ought to be passed into a law at once …Charles Dickens
Included in Wednesday's court filing was a petition signed by more than 500 area residents. The petitioners ask that Johnson "be shown mercy and not subjected to a jail term" because he has lost so much due to the conviction.Michael Smith

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web LaGrange Park Violating an order of protection Miguel Davila, 25, of the 4500 bock of Elm Avenue, Brookfield, was charged at 3:03 p., May 23, at his residence, with violating an order of protection by contacting the petitioner by telephone. Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2023 Attorney Joe Miller, who is representing the election contest petitioners, replied to the clerk in a supplement to the petition. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 24 May 2023 Tangent Justices Tuesday also repeatedly expressed their confusion with the petitioners’ argument being made against the tech companies. Alison Durkee, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2023 The petitioners are the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, ShoreRivers, Dorchester Citizens for Planned Growth, Friends of the Nanticoke River and the Wicomico Environmental Trust. Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 21 Feb. 2023 The petitioner will argue that any consideration of race is unlawful and urge the Court to overturn its key precedents permitting the use of race in affirmative-action policies. Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2022 Jason Kafoury, another chief petitioner and a member of the group Honest Elections, said supporters consulted with national experts on campaign finance. oregonlive, 9 Dec. 2021 The law protects the petitioner's anonymity from release by authorities, but Spanish media outlet Marca later reported that his nephew had filed the complaint. Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 16 May 2023 In it, the petitioner claimed to have had an affair with Martin over the course of seven months. Suzy Expositostaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2022 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petitioner was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near petitioner

Cite this Entry

“Petitioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petitioner. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

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