as in begging
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
petitioned the judge to be excused from jury duty for financial hardship
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Recent Examples of petitioning
Chandee is petitioning for his release in federal court.
—
Huo Jingnan, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Additionally, Mecklenburg County is rich with top leaders within the healthcare industry so moving to strengthen partnerships with healthcare providers is critical in addition to petitioning the county to expand mental health services inside the jail.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
The lack of First Amendment protections from the nation's high court has agitated some legal scholars who see the protections for free speech and petitioning the government as deeply connected to public employees' labor rights.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Centurion took up McIntyre’s case in 2009, and Pilate was tasked with investigating the case and putting together the legal documents petitioning for his release.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
Rodney Williams, newly appointed as the city’s Families, Parks and Recreation Director, met last week with some of the advocates who have been petitioning for better care of the famed birds, including improved cleanliness.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Multiple plaintiffs are now petitioning the court to get a share of the proceeds.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Now the family is petitioning the Scottish government for a change in medical guidelines.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Three of those worked on criminal cases, and the other three were civil litigators who have been grappling with a deluge of requests by attorneys who are petitioning judges to release their immigrant clients from detention facilities.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Huo Jingnan, NPR, 27 Feb. 2026
Additionally, Mecklenburg County is rich with top leaders within the healthcare industry so moving to strengthen partnerships with healthcare providers is critical in addition to petitioning the county to expand mental health services inside the jail.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
The lack of First Amendment protections from the nation's high court has agitated some legal scholars who see the protections for free speech and petitioning the government as deeply connected to public employees' labor rights.
—Helen Rummel, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2026
Centurion took up McIntyre’s case in 2009, and Pilate was tasked with investigating the case and putting together the legal documents petitioning for his release.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2026
Rodney Williams, newly appointed as the city’s Families, Parks and Recreation Director, met last week with some of the advocates who have been petitioning for better care of the famed birds, including improved cleanliness.
—Ryan Gillespie, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Multiple plaintiffs are now petitioning the court to get a share of the proceeds.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Now the family is petitioning the Scottish government for a change in medical guidelines.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Three of those worked on criminal cases, and the other three were civil litigators who have been grappling with a deluge of requests by attorneys who are petitioning judges to release their immigrant clients from detention facilities.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petitioning
begging
Verb
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Watching Jalen Brunson flopping the other night and watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander begging for calls like a Premier League player was like watching a championship fight.—
Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Savannah and her siblings have posted several impassioned pleas to their mother's kidnapper, begging the person to let Nancy go.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Petitioning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petitioning. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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