plead
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to appeal or entreat earnestly.
to plead for time.
- Synonyms:
- supplicate, beg
-
to use arguments or persuasions, as with a person, for or against something.
She pleaded with him not to take the job.
- Synonyms:
- reason
-
to afford an argument or appeal.
His youth pleads for him.
-
Law.
-
to make any allegation or plea in an action at law.
-
to put forward an answer on the part of a defendant to a legal declaration or charge.
-
to address a court as an advocate.
-
Obsolete. to prosecute a suit or action at law.
-
verb (used with object)
-
to allege or urge in defense, justification, or excuse.
to plead ignorance.
- Synonyms:
- claim
-
Law.
-
to maintain (a cause) by argument before a court.
-
to allege or set forth (something) formally in an action at law.
-
to allege or cite in legal defense.
to plead a statute of limitations.
-
verb
-
to appeal earnestly or humbly (to)
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to give as an excuse; offer in justification or extenuation
to plead ignorance
he pleaded that he was insane
-
to provide an argument or appeal (for)
her beauty pleads for her
-
law to declare oneself to be (guilty or not guilty) in answer to the charge
-
law to advocate (a case) in a court of law
-
(intr) law
-
to file pleadings
-
to address a court as an advocate
-
Usage
What does plead mean? Plead means to beg or passionately try to persuade someone to do something. It’s similar to the word beg, which often means to request again and again. Plead can mean the same thing, but it’s especially used to imply that the request is passionate and that the person doing the pleading is desperate. It’s especially used in serious situations. A person might plead with their friend to get help with an addiction. You might plead with your teacher for more time to complete a project. Plead is used in a more specific way in a legal context, in which it means to declare one’s status in response to charges, especially to plead guilty or not guilty, as in How does the defendant plead? and My client pleads not guilty. It can also mean to argue something in court. The expression plead one’s case uses this sense of the word. Less commonly, plead can mean to offer as an excuse for or defense of one’s actions. When used this way, it’s typically followed by the specific excuse, as in, Don’t plead ignorance—you knew what you were doing. Plead has two past tense forms: pleaded and pled. The noun form of plead is plea. Example: When I was a kid, I was afraid of the dentist and used to plead with my mom not to make me go.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of plead
First recordd in 1200–50; Middle English plaiden, from< Old French plaid(i)er “to go to law, plead,” from early Medieval Latin placitāre “to litigate,” derivative of Latin placitum “opinion, agreed condition.” See plea
Explanation
To plead with someone is to try to convince them to see it your way. Your kids may plead with you to let them go on the super-huge outrageous roller coaster built in 1968, but you know better. The term plead comes from the word plea, which is from the legal system, where lawyers make a plea to the court and argue a case for their client. To plead is to ask for something from someone, often on the verge of begging. You may plead with the phone company to give an appointment time that spans only three hours, but, regardless of your pleading, they will make you wait eight hours for the technician to finally show.
Vocabulary lists containing plead
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The DOJ presented Abrego Garcia with a plea deal last week: Plead guilty to the human smuggling charge, and after serving time in jail, eventually be removed to Costa Rica—a generally safe, Spanish-speaking country.
From Slate • Aug. 28, 2025
He also co-founded Plead the 8th, a nonprofit working to end the incarceration of children in Florida’s adult system.
From Slate • Mar. 19, 2024
He said, “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 10, 2021
Because once in jail, people are faced with a terrible choice: Plead guilty and go home saddled with a criminal record, or maintain innocence and remain in jail.
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2015
Most true, Sire; I would plead for the Dauphin——" "Plead?
From The Justice of the King by Drummond, Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
