noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/pəˈtɪʃ.ən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P AH0 T IH1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
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.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
We're looking to get 10,000 people to sign the petition to have the bird colony given legal protection.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A formal written application made to a magistrate or court for an order or a suit for divorce.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Topics: law
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A prayer or supplication, especially of which is formal or humble and made to a deity, a sovereign, or an authority.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
a petition to aid
a petition to God for courage and strength
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To make a petition to (a sovereign or political authority).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
The villagers petitioned the council to demolish the dangerous building.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
write a petition for something to somebody; request formally and in writing
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: request, bespeak, call for, quest
Narrower terms: supplicate
History
Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Old French peticiun, from stem of Latin petitio, petitionem (“a request, solicitation”), from petere (“to require, seek, go forward”).
Across languages
Translations
177 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
عَرِيضَة
(ʕarīḍa)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Arabic:
طَلَب
(ṭalab)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Armenian:
խնդրագիր
(xndragir)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Belarusian:
петы́цыя
(pjetýcyja)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Belarusian:
пэты́цыя
(petýcyja)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Belarusian:
хада́йніцтва
(xadájnictva)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Belarusian:
прашэ́нне
(prašénnje)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Belarusian:
прашэ́ньне
(prašénʹnje)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Bulgarian:
молба́
(molbá)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Bulgarian:
заявле́ние
(zajavlénie)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Catalan:
petició
— formal, written request made to an official person
Chinese Mandarin:
請願 /请愿
(qǐngyuàn)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Czech:
žádost
— formal, written request made to an official person
Czech:
suplika
— formal, written request made to an official person
Danish:
andragende
— formal, written request made to an official person
Danish:
petition
— formal, written request made to an official person
Danish:
bønskrift
— formal, written request made to an official person
Dutch:
verzoekschrift
— formal, written request made to an official person
Dutch:
petitie
— formal, written request made to an official person
Dutch:
smeekschrift
— formal, written request made to an official person
Esperanto:
peticio
— formal, written request made to an official person
Esperanto:
petskribo
— formal, written request made to an official person
Finnish:
vetoomus
— formal, written request made to an official person
Finnish:
adressi
— formal, written request made to an official person
French:
pétition
— formal, written request made to an official person
German:
Petition
— formal, written request made to an official person
German:
Eingabe
— formal, written request made to an official person
Greek:
αίτηση
(aítisi)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Greek:
αναφορά
(anaforá)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ancient Greek:
αἴτημα
(aítēma)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ancient Greek:
δέησις
(déēsis)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Hindi:
याचिका
(yācikā)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Hindi:
ज्ञापन
(jñāpan)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Hungarian:
kérvény
— formal, written request made to an official person
Hunsrik:
Pëtizion
— formal, written request made to an official person
Indonesian:
petisi
— formal, written request made to an official person
Irish:
achainí
— formal, written request made to an official person
Italian:
petizione
— formal, written request made to an official person
Japanese:
請願
(seigan)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Kazakh:
петиция
(petisiä)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Korean:
청원
(cheong'won)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Northern Kurdish:
arîze
— formal, written request made to an official person
Kyrgyz:
петиция
(petitsiya)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ladino:
petisyon
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ladino:
arzoal
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ladino:
arzuhal
— formal, written request made to an official person
Latin:
libellus
— formal, written request made to an official person
Latin:
petitio
— formal, written request made to an official person
Malay:
petisyen
— formal, written request made to an official person
Māori:
petihana
— formal, written request made to an official person
Iranian Persian:
دَرْخواسْت
(darxâst)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Plautdietsch:
Aunfroag
— formal, written request made to an official person
Polish:
petycja
— formal, written request made to an official person
Portuguese:
petição
— formal, written request made to an official person
Romanian:
petiție
— formal, written request made to an official person
Russian:
пети́ция
(petícija)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Russian:
хода́тайство
(xodátajstvo)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Russian:
проше́ние
(prošénije)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Russian:
заявле́ние
(zajavlénije)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Scottish Gaelic:
athchuinge
— formal, written request made to an official person
Slovak:
žiadosť
— formal, written request made to an official person
Spanish:
petición
— formal, written request made to an official person
Spanish:
instancia
— formal, written request made to an official person
Spanish:
peroración
— formal, written request made to an official person
Swedish:
petition
— formal, written request made to an official person
Swedish:
framställan
— formal, written request made to an official person
Tajik:
дархост
(darxost)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Tamil:
மனு
(maṉu)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Turkish:
dilekçe
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ukrainian:
пети́ція
(petýcija)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Ukrainian:
проха́ння
(proxánnja)
— formal, written request made to an official person
Uzbek:
ariza
— formal, written request made to an official person
Uzbek:
arznoma
— formal, written request made to an official person
Uzbek:
iltimosnoma
— formal, written request made to an official person
Vietnamese:
sự cầu xin
— formal, written request made to an official person
Welsh:
deiseb
— formal, written request made to an official person
Albanian:
peticion
— compilation of signatures
Arabic:
عَرِيضَة
(ʕarīḍa)
— compilation of signatures
Armenian:
պետիցիա
(peticʻia)
— compilation of signatures
Azerbaijani:
ərizə
— compilation of signatures
Azerbaijani:
petisiya
— compilation of signatures
Belarusian:
петы́цыя
(pjetýcyja)
— compilation of signatures
Belarusian:
пэты́цыя
(petýcyja)
— compilation of signatures
Bulgarian:
пети́ция
(petícija)
— compilation of signatures
Chinese Mandarin:
請願 /请愿
(qǐngyuàn)
— compilation of signatures
Czech:
petice
— compilation of signatures
Danish:
petition
— compilation of signatures
Dutch:
petitie
— compilation of signatures
Estonian:
petitsioon
— compilation of signatures
Finnish:
adressi
— compilation of signatures
Finnish:
vetoomus
— compilation of signatures
French:
pétition
— compilation of signatures
Georgian:
პეტიცია
(ṗeṭicia)
— compilation of signatures
German:
Petition
— compilation of signatures
Greek:
αίτηση
(aítisi)
— compilation of signatures
Hindi:
याचिका
(yācikā)
— compilation of signatures
Hindi:
ज्ञापन
(jñāpan)
— compilation of signatures
Hungarian:
petíció
— compilation of signatures
Indonesian:
petisi
— compilation of signatures
Irish:
achainí
— compilation of signatures
Japanese:
請願
(seigan)
— compilation of signatures
Kazakh:
арыз-тілек
(aryz-tılek)
— compilation of signatures
Kazakh:
петиция
(petisiä)
— compilation of signatures
Korean:
청원
(cheong'won)
— compilation of signatures
Kyrgyz:
петиция
(petitsiya)
— compilation of signatures
Macedonian:
петиција
(peticija)
— compilation of signatures
Norwegian Bokmål:
petisjon
— compilation of signatures
Iranian Persian:
دَرْخواسْت
(darxâst)
— compilation of signatures
Iranian Persian:
طومار
(tumâr)
— compilation of signatures
Iranian Persian:
عَریضِه
(arize)
— compilation of signatures
Polish:
petycja
— compilation of signatures
Portuguese:
abaixo-assinado
— compilation of signatures
Romanian:
petiție
— compilation of signatures
Russian:
пети́ция
(petícija)
— compilation of signatures
Scottish Gaelic:
athchuinge
— compilation of signatures
Serbo-Croatian:
пѐтӣција
— compilation of signatures
Serbo-Croatian:
pètīcija
— compilation of signatures
Slovak:
petícia
— compilation of signatures
Slovene:
peticija
— compilation of signatures
Spanish:
petición
— compilation of signatures
Swedish:
namninsamling
— compilation of signatures
Swedish:
petition
— compilation of signatures
Tajik:
ариза
(ariza)
— compilation of signatures
Tajik:
додхост
(dodxost)
— compilation of signatures
Tajik:
дархост
(darxost)
— compilation of signatures
Tajik:
петитсия
(petitsiya)
— compilation of signatures
Tajik:
арзнома
(arznoma)
— compilation of signatures
Turkish:
dilekçe
— compilation of signatures
Ukrainian:
пети́ція
(petýcija)
— compilation of signatures
Urdu:
دَرْخْوَاسْت
(darxvāst)
— compilation of signatures
Urdu:
عَرِیضَہ
('arīza)
— compilation of signatures
Uzbek:
ariza
— compilation of signatures
Uzbek:
arznoma
— compilation of signatures
Uzbek:
iltimosnoma
— compilation of signatures
Bulgarian:
жа́лба
(žálba)
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Czech:
návrh
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Finnish:
hakemus
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Finnish:
anomus
— legal: formal request for judicial action
German:
Petition
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Greek:
αίτηση
(aítisi)
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Hindi:
याचिका
(yācikā)
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Indonesian:
petisi
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Irish:
achainí
— legal: formal request for judicial action
Malay:
rayuan
— legal: formal request for judicial action
