petitioner

noun

pe·​ti·​tion·​er pə-ˈti-sh(ə-)nər How to pronounce petitioner (audio)
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
The 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 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
… 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
Included 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

Examples 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
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.
Mike Jabo, Porter County’s director of planning and stormwater management, has said the petitioner requested placement on Wednesday’s Plan Commission agenda, but the staff didn’t place it there. Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2025 In August 2023, a judgment was entered against Kelly totaling $10.3 million, which was to be paid to the petitioners, the court filing states. Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 8 Feb. 2025 The injunction was dismissed after the petitioner failed to show up at the hearing. Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2025 Should the Court side with Ames, her victory could ease legal benchmarks for Title VII claims, opening the way for more straight petitioners to allege discrimination. Abby Monteil, Them, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for petitioner

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of petitioner was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Petitioner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petitioner. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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