as in plea
an earnest request
a flurry of petitions from eating and drinking establishments to be exempt from the new antismoking regulations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to beg
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 petition
ABC News, 3 July 2025
The initiative comes after a petition to ban fossil fuel ads, led by British TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, garnered over 110,000 signatures.
—David Vetter, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 17 June 2025
The league petitioned the Supreme Court earlier this year to review its VPPA litigation, urging the justices to consider the presence of conflicting case law among the federal circuits on VPPA and the potentially far-reaching consequences of liability for websites that use cookies.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for petition
Noun
There are five emergency petitions involving the Trump administration.
—ABC News, 3 July 2025
The initiative comes after a petition to ban fossil fuel ads, led by British TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, garnered over 110,000 signatures.
—David Vetter, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
Verb
Once voting opened on Friday night, a slew of fans began petitioning on social media for viewers to vote for specific pairings: Iris with Jeremiah, Jalen with Olandria and Pepe with Hannah.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 17 June 2025
The league petitioned the Supreme Court earlier this year to review its VPPA litigation, urging the justices to consider the presence of conflicting case law among the federal circuits on VPPA and the potentially far-reaching consequences of liability for websites that use cookies.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for petition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for petition
Noun
-
He was sentenced to one year of probation on the misdemeanor charge as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, who agreed to drop more serious charges of harassment and misuse of public monies.—
Robert Anglen,
AZCentral.com,
7 July 2025
-
In early May 2013, Rachel turned herself in as part of a pre-arranged plea deal.—
Alex Gurley,
People.com,
6 July 2025
Verb
-
When all 16 of her campers and her co-counselors were safely accounted for at the pavilion, Ainslie heard campers from another cabin — one that housed some of the camp’s youngest children — begging for help.—
Toria Sheffield,
People.com,
12 July 2025
-
Read on for our roundup of gallery wall ideas in living rooms, bedrooms, and entryways to turn an empty wall begging for a makeover into a memorable design statement.—
Maria Sabella,
Architectural Digest,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Additionally, weaker interest rates often result in a softer U.S. dollar, enhancing the appeal of alternative stores of value.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
The appeal will also involve an oral argument during which attorneys for the NFL and NFLPA field questions from the panel.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Our hearts and prayers go out to our friends and all those affected in Texas!—
Brendan Ahern,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
Monday’s filing was the product of a lawsuit filed in Texas in September 2024 on behalf of the National Religious Broadcasters, an international association of evangelical Christian communicators, as well as Intercessors for America, a conservative Christian prayer advocacy group.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Petition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/petition. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share