petition

/pəˈtɪʃn/ (bre, ipa) · /pəˈtɪʃn/ (ame, ipa) · /pə-ˈti-shən/ (ame, mw) · /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/ (bre, ipa) · /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/ (ame, ipa)

petition — noun

  • petitionsingular
  • petitionsplural

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

1.名詞C1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • approval

    means acceptance of the decision instead of pressure to change it

  • endorsement

    is public support rather than a written demand

文法句型

start a petition

sign a petition

petition calling for change

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C1
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

file a petition

petition for guardianship

grant or reject a petition

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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.名詞C2
釋義

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

例句

At dawn, the monks offered a petition for rain.

petition for + need

Her final petition asked the king to spare her son.

同義詞
  • 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

文法句型

offer a petition

petition for mercy

hear a petition

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

❌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