petition
A formal written request made by an individual or a group of people to a sovereign or political authority, often containing many signatures, soliciting some grace, right, mercy, or the redress of some wrong or grievance.
Example
“We're looking to get 10,000 people to sign the petition to have the bird colony given legal protection.”
Other meanings
A formal written application made to a magistrate or court for an order or a suit for divorce.
A prayer or supplication, especially of which is formal or humble and made to a deity, a sovereign, or an authority.
“a petition to aid”
Synonyms
- request
Related words
- counterpetition
- petitionable
- petitionary
- petitionee
- petitioner
- petitionist
- prepetition
- repetition
- e-petition
- petition of right
- petitional
Word history
From Latin "petitio" (petitio, petitionem).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “petition” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.