PETITIONS Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

petitions 1 of 2

noun

plural of petition

as in appeals

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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petitions

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of petition

as in begs

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of petitions

Noun

Most of these people were freed through habeas corpus petitions, which let detainees challenge the government’s legal right to imprison them. — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 6 Nov. 2026 The state spends more than $200 million a year to adjudicate automatic death penalty appeals and habeas corpus petitions for inmates who, in all likelihood, will never be executed, according to a 2025 report by the Habeas Corpus Resource Center. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026 The letter outlines steps House Democrats took in this Congress as the minority party to push back on Republicans and touts the bipartisan housing bill and successful discharge petitions to force a vote on legislation as Democratic wins. — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026 Elleson has run for the 9th District seat twice before, losing to Schakowsky by a wide margin in 2018, and getting kicked off the ballot in 2022 for failing to get enough valid signatures on his nominating petitions. — CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026 Pappas appears on the ballot days after submitting her nominating petitions for the 2027 Chicago mayoral race. — Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026 With emergency petitions divided up among the nine Justices according to region, Justice Kagan has the West Coast beat. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026 Some members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition opposed the law, however, and right-wing opposition parties filed petitions to challenge it in court. — Hannah Ridge, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026 Members have protested through petitions and an 1,100-member boycott. — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026

Verb

However, if someone petitions the court, a judge could order the HOA into a receivership. — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026 The film hands off its plot like a baton, passing from this dissatisfied shopper to a factory owner to her dead daughter-in-law (another ghost) who petitions the government for her civil rights despite being in the body of an appliance. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for petitions

Noun

Big business interests like building owners, developers and the property tax attorneys that file appeals for both lined up with Hynes, who convinced party officials to endorse him over the summer.

— A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
Before that, Gooden was an appellate attorney who handled hundreds of appeals.

— Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of appeals

Verb

Lifelike Cat With a face full of fur and electric-green-colored contacts, this cat costume begs to be seen.

— Michella Oré, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2026
When Sita begs Rama to follow a demon disguised as a beautiful golden deer, Rama draws a magical protective circle around the princess and instructs her to stay within the circle’s borders.

— Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of begs

Noun

The National Capital Planning Commission heard nearly eight hours of impassioned pleas from veterans, lawmakers, residents and concerned citizens opposed to the structure.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026
As for the next chapters of Glee and Girls, may the writers’ rooms hear our post-election pleas.

— Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026