Meaning & use
petition
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Meanings
nouncountable
A written request, usually signed by many people, asking an authority to do something.
Grammar: Takes a plural: petitions; often with for or against.
Patterns
- a petition for something
- a petition against something
- a petition to someone
Neighbors signed a petition for a new crosswalk.
The petition against the closure gathered ten thousand names.
Students handed a petition to the principal.
nouncountablelegal
A formal request to a court to take a legal action.
Grammar: Used in law: file a petition.
Patterns
- a petition for something
She filed a petition for divorce.
The lawyers submitted a petition to the court.
The company's petition for bankruptcy was granted.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make a formal request to an authority, usually in writing.
Grammar: Takes an object (petition the council) or for (petition for change).
Patterns
- petition someone
- petition for something
- petition someone to do something
Residents petitioned the council to repair the road.
They petitioned for a recount.
Parents petitioned the school to keep the library open.
Word forms
| plural | petitions |
|---|---|
| third person singular | petitions |
| past tense | petitioned |
| past participle | petitioned |
| -ing form | petitioning |
Common combinations
- sign a petition
- Please sign the petition at the door.
- start a petition
- She started a petition online.
- submit a petition
- They submitted the petition to parliament.
- online petition
- The online petition drew thousands of supporters.
- petition for
- They petition for lower fees.
Synonyms and how they differ
- appeal
- Appeal is a broader request for help or a legal challenge to a decision, while petition is a formal written request.
- request
- Request is general and can be spoken, whereas petition is formal and often collective.
- plea
- Plea is emotional or urgent and can be spoken, while petition is written and organized.
- campaign
- Campaign is an organized effort over time, while a petition is one document within it.
Word family
- petitioner noun
- a person who makes a petition
- petitionary adjective
- relating to a petition
- petitioning noun
- the act of making a petition
- repetition noun
- unrelated: doing something again
Commonly confused: petition or partition? petition or repetition?
petition vs partition
A partition is a divider or a division, not a request.
petition vs repetition
Repetition is doing something again; petition is a formal request.
Practice
Residents started a ___ asking the council to keep the swimming pool open.
Choose one answer.
A petition is a signed request to an authority. Partition and position are real words but do not mean a request.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “petition”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.