petitioner

noun

pe·​ti·​tion·​er pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)nər 

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

Synonyms

• pleader
• solicitor
• suitor
• suppliant
• supplicant

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

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above