Synonyms of petition

petition 1 of 2

noun

pə-ˈti-shən 

as in plea

an earnest request

a flurry of petitions from eating and drinking establishments to be exempt from the new antismoking regulations

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plea
• appeal
• prayer
• pleading
• desire
• cry
• solicitation
• application
• entreaty
• suit
• supplication
• demand
• adjuration
• suppliance
• call
• requisition
• conjuration
• insistence
• claim

petition

2 of 2

verb

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner

petitioned the judge to be excused from jury duty for financial hardship

Synonyms & Similar Words

• beg
• pray
• ask
• beseech
• implore
• appeal (to)
• entreat
• plead (to)
• request
• call on
• supplicate
• importune
• conjure
• besiege
• solicit
• require
• impetrate
• invoke
• desire
• compel
• demand
• force
• claim
• insist
• coerce
• sponge
• bludge
• cadge
• mooch
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of petition

Noun

An online petition has over 1,800 signatures with residents hoping the new owners will work save some of the site. — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026

In 1976, after signing a petition in support of Wilfried Linke, a fellow student expelled from the college for criticizing the dogmatic ideological orientation of Marxist-Leninist instruction, she herself was expelled. — Elisa R. Linn, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Verb

After serving their prison sentences, SVPs undergo treatment at state hospitals but may also petition courts to continue treatment in outpatient locations. — Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

California’s Proposition 47 reduced certain drug convictions from felonies to misdemeanors and allowed inmates and formerly incarcerated people to petition the court for resentencing. — Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026