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petition

 
 
/pəˈtɪʃən/ noun [C]

Definition

POLITICS a document signed by a large number of people asking the government or authorities to do something or not to do something: a petition against/for sth Trade unions have started a petition against the merger.
LAW a formal letter to a court of law asking for a particular decision: They had filed a petition in federal court on behalf of the detainees.
→ See also bankruptcy petition
(Definition of petition noun from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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