petitioner
noun
pe·ti·tion·er
pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)nər 
plural petitioners
: one who makes, submits, or signs a petition
The lost children had not been found. Public prayers had been offered up for them, and many and many a private prayer that had the petitioner's whole heart in it; but still no good news came from the cave.—
Mark Twain
Mark TwainThe high court held that when a petition charges an official with violating the law, the petitioners must at least have knowledge of facts which indicate an intent to commit an unlawful act.—The National Law Journal
The National Law JournalThe petitioner contended that the taking of the blood sample and the admission of the test results violated his fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination …—Raymond P. Ward
Raymond P. Ward… the draft of the proposed petition was read at length: and the petition said, as all petitions DO say, that the petitioners were very humble, and the petitioned very honourable, and the object very virtuous; therefore (said the petition) the bill ought to be passed into a law at once …—Charles Dickens
Charles DickensIncluded in Wednesday's court filing was a petition signed by more than 500 area residents. The petitioners ask that Johnson "be shown mercy and not subjected to a jail term" because he has lost so much due to the conviction.—Michael Smith
Michael SmithExamples of petitioner in a Sentence
the lottery winner was beset by a horde of petitioners, all of whom thought that they were most deserving of his charity
Recent Examples on the Web
If not for our conclusion that jurisdiction lies in the Eastern District of Virginia, that deliberate choice would have deprived the petitioner of any meaningful opportunity to contest his detention prior to removal to a distant jurisdiction.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The Hamilton County Board of Elections late Friday certified that petitioners had collected enough valid signatures for the November ballot, according to Raquel Burgos, deputy director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
—Sydney Franklin, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Charter petitioner Khadir Rajagopal is a polarizing figure in Sacramento education — the teacher once named Sacramento and state Teacher of the Year now runs private school Miracle University, which claims a 100% graduation rate for students who would have otherwise completely dropped out.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
The government last month filed a motion to move the case out of Virginia, arguing that the habeas petition must be filed where the petitioner is detained.
—Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 14 May 2025
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James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
The Hamilton County Board of Elections late Friday certified that petitioners had collected enough valid signatures for the November ballot, according to Raquel Burgos, deputy director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections.
—Sydney Franklin, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Charter petitioner Khadir Rajagopal is a polarizing figure in Sacramento education — the teacher once named Sacramento and state Teacher of the Year now runs private school Miracle University, which claims a 100% graduation rate for students who would have otherwise completely dropped out.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 25 June 2025
The government last month filed a motion to move the case out of Virginia, arguing that the habeas petition must be filed where the petitioner is detained.
—Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for petitioner
Cite this Entry
“Petitioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petitioner. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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