Words / B2

p-uh-TISHUN/pəˈtɪʃn/

A petition is a signed request to an authority: start a petition, sign a petition, a petition against. Protest can be a march; appeal is often legal; campaign is wider. Petition is also a verb. In speech, a signed list asking for change is enough. Do not call a single email a petition, and in law a petition can start certain court processes (a bankruptcy petition).

Meaning

A written request signed by many people, asking an authority to do something.

Examples

• “Residents started a petition against the night flights.”
• “Ten thousand people signed a petition to keep the night A&E open.”
• “Creditors filed a petition in court, which is the legal sense, not a Change.org page.”

Good to know

sign / start a petition; a petition against. Wider: campaign. Street action: protest. Also a legal filing. Not one email.

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