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Law vocabulary · Lawsuits & Procedure

Petition

Meaning in law, with examples

/pəˈtɪʃn/nounCommon term

In law, petition means: A formal written request to a court or public authority asking it to take a particular action, such as winding up a company or reviewing a decision.

In Turkish: dilekçe, başvuru, talep

How it is used

Used for particular kinds of application: a 'winding-up petition' or 'bankruptcy petition' in insolvency, and a 'petition for review' in some appeal courts. The person who files it is the 'petitioner'. Outside court, a petition is a document signed by many people to demand a change.

Example sentences

  1. The supplier presented a winding-up petition against the company over unpaid invoices.

  2. Over 10,000 residents signed a petition against the new motorway.

Common collocations

  • file a petition
  • winding-up petition
  • bankruptcy petition
  • sign a petition
  • petition for review
  • complaintIn US civil procedure, the first document a plaintiff files to start a lawsuit, setting out the facts, the legal claims and what the plaintiff asks the court to order.
  • motionA formal request to a judge, made in writing or orally during a case, asking the court to make a particular order or decision.
  • fileTo officially give a document to a court or public office so that it becomes part of the record, for example to start a case or to answer one.
  • briefIn the US, a written argument that a lawyer submits to a court, especially an appeal court; in the UK, the instructions and papers a solicitor sends to a barrister for a case.
  • claimA formal demand for money, property or another remedy, especially one made in court; also a statement that something is true which has not yet been proved.

More terms: Lawsuits & Procedure

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.