petition

petition — noun

1. a paper or online form that many people sign together to ask people in power to

1.nounC1
Definition

a paper or online form that many people sign together to ask people in power to change something

Example

Students launched a petition after the city cut late-night buses.

launch a petition

By Friday, the online petition to save the pool had two thousand names.

online petition to + purpose

Common collocations
  • launch a petition
  • online petition
  • sign a petition
  • public petition
  • petition calling for change
Synonyms
  • appeal

    can also be public, but it is not always something many people sign

  • request

    is broader and can come from one person without any campaign

  • plea

    sounds more personal and emotional than this collective document

  • protest

    usually means public action or complaint, not the written document itself

Antonyms
  • approval

    means acceptance of the decision instead of pressure to change it

  • endorsement

    is public support rather than a written demand

Grammar Patterns

start a petition

sign a petition

petition calling for change

Usage Note

Usually something people sign on paper or online. Common verbs are start, launch, sign, and submit. Distinguish from sense 2, which is filed with a court rather than backed by many names.

Common Mistakes

We held a petition in front of city hall.
We held a protest in front of city hall.
a petition is mainly a written or online request, not the public gathering.
I signed on the petition.
I signed the petition.
after 'sign', English normally uses the petition directly as the object.

2. an official paper filed with a court to ask for a certain legal decision or orde

2.nounC1
Definition

an official paper filed with a court to ask for a certain legal decision or order

Example

Her lawyer filed a petition to reopen the housing case.

file a petition

The court rejected the petition before the hearing began.

reject the petition

Common collocations
  • file a petition
  • court petition
  • petition for guardianship
  • reject a petition
  • grant a petition
Synonyms
  • application

    is a broader official request and is not limited to court procedure

  • motion

    is a more specific legal request, often made within an existing case

  • filing

    is a broad legal term for any paper submitted to a court

  • pleading

    is a technical legal word for formal court papers

Grammar Patterns

file a petition

petition for guardianship

grant or reject a petition

Usage Note

Usually filed with a court or another official body. Common verbs are file, submit, grant, and reject. Distinguish from sense 1, which gains force from many signatures rather than legal procedure.

Common Mistakes

She filed a petition with the school club.
She sent a request to the school club.
this sense is for a court or another official body, not an ordinary group.
The judge wrote a petition.
The judge ruled on the petition.
the petition comes from the person asking for action, not from the court.

3. a solemn plea offered in prayer or to a ruler or other powerful person

3.nounC2
Definition

a solemn plea offered in prayer or to a ruler or other powerful person

Example

At dawn, the monks offered a petition for rain.

petition for + need

Her final petition asked the king to spare her son.

Common collocations
  • offer a petition
  • petition for rain
  • petition for mercy
  • humble petition
Synonyms
  • plea

    is more common and often sounds more emotional than ceremonial

  • supplication

    is strongly religious or literary

  • entreaty

    is very formal and somewhat old-fashioned

Grammar Patterns

offer a petition

petition for mercy

hear a petition

Usage Note

Formal and old-fashioned in everyday English. It appears mostly in religious, historical, or ceremonial writing. Distinguish from senses 1 and 2, which usually name official documents rather than a solemn plea.

Common Mistakes

He made a petition for more rice at dinner.
He asked for more rice at dinner.
this sense is reserved for very formal, serious, or religious requests.

petition — verb

Word family

  • petitioner
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, petition is the best choice when many people support one written or online request and want an authority to act. Request is the broad everyday word and may come from just one person. Appeal is also public and formal, but it can be spoken, emotional, or aimed at getting help, not only signatures. Plea sounds more urgent and personal, often showing strong feeling from one speaker. Protest is different again: it usually means visible public opposition such as marching, shouting, or gathering in the street, not the document people sign. You can sign a petition about bus routes, make a request to your teacher, issue an appeal for donations, or join a protest outside city hall.

request ↗appeal ↗plea ↗protest ↗

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Petition entered English in the Middle English period through French from Latin. Its Latin source was petitio, a noun built from petere, meaning 'to seek' or 'go after'. That history matches the modern word well: a petition is a formal attempt to get something from a court, a government, or another authority.