implore

American  

[im-plawr] / ɪmˈplɔr /

verb (used with object)

• implores,
  present (3rd person singular)
• implored,
  past participle,  past
• imploring
  present participle

1. to beg urgently or piteously, as for aid or mercy; beseech; entreat.

   They implored him to go.

2. to beg urgently or piteously for (aid, mercy, pardon, etc.).

   implore forgiveness.

   Synonyms:

   solicit, beg, crave

   Antonyms:

   reject, spurn

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verb (used without object)

• implores,
  present (3rd person singular)
• implored,
  past participle,  past
• imploring
  present participle

1. to make urgent or piteous supplication.

implore British  

/ ɪmˈplɔː /

verb

1. to beg or ask (someone) earnestly (to do something); plead with; beseech

2. to ask earnestly or piteously for; supplicate; beg

   to implore someone's mercy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• imploration
  noun
• implorer
  noun
• imploringness
  noun
• implorable
  adjective
• imploratory
  adjective
• unimplorable
  adjective
• unimplored
  adjective
• imploringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• imploring
  present
• implored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• implore
  simple
• implores
  simple
• have implored
  perfect
• has implored
  perfect
• am imploring
  progressive
• are imploring
  progressive
• is imploring
  progressive
• have been imploring
  perfect progressive
• has been imploring
  perfect progressive

Past

• implored
  simple
• had implored
  perfect
• was imploring
  progressive
• were imploring
  progressive
• had been imploring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will implore
  simple
• will have implored
  perfect
• will be imploring
  progressive
• will have been imploring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of implore

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin implōrāre, equivalent to im- “in” ( see im- ¹) + plōrāre “to lament”

Explanation

You might ask your friend for a loan if you're short a few bucks, but if the bank is about to foreclose on your house you'll implore your friend for the money, desperately begging for the cash so you can keep your house. The word implore is often used to describe an urgent request made out of desperation. A man on death row might implore the governor to grant him a last-minute pardon. In the old days, you might have heard the word spoken by someone with lousy aim at a duel — "I implore you not to shoot me, my good man!" Today, this first-person use of the word sounds old-fashioned, although you might still hear it in a period drama.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

implore implores implored imploring

Crypto accounts, bank accounts and even eBay accounts are also vulnerable to phishing scams where thieves send an email with a link and implore you to click.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Today U.S. allies implore Ukraine for drone help.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

"I implore MSPs to have the courage of your convictions."

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026

And here, the study’s authors implore leaders to find a policy solution: Improve water management and reduce groundwater use now, and the world has a tool to slow the rate of sea level rise.

From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2025

I implore you to say nothing to your family yet, but to send one word of hope through Laurie to,

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

He implores Congress to invoke this clause to make a case for new voting rights legislation that can address the post-Callais landscape.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2026

In the blog post, Gates also implores rich nations to restore funding cuts that the foundation said led to the rise in deaths among children last year.

From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026

With a fee that she purloins from a church collection plate, she implores him for help and he agrees, as he learns more about this young girl’s challenging childhood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

And this time it’s Doug who implores Kayleen to touch his wound, believing she has a mysterious power to heal, a notion she rejects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

"Every class and every individual must help us create the new Reich," Hitler implores.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

“Front of house, make sure Bill’s bell is ripping,” Beck implored the sound techs at the Bowl.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

This is a topic that is raised in these pages from time to time — most recently by this reader who implored more Americans to start saving early and not to be intimidated by money.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

At the start of the second set, Raducanu implored her team for more vocal encouragement - and the home crowd further increased their level of support.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also implored Tehran to "return to the negotiating table and stop holding the region and the world hostage", echoing calls from French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

Then she caught sight of me and took hold of my arm again and again, and implored me to look after Franz out there.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

For his sake, they likely will revert to imploring Angels owner Arte Moreno to “sell the team” soon enough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

But in a way, you were doing exactly that with your friend by imploring him to shift his funds into assets that would yield a return of 8% to 9%, even before inflation.

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

The secretary and pharmacist and my kid’s baseball coach ask, “How are you feeling?,” silently imploring me to give them a cancer update without making them ask.

From Slate ● May 6, 2026

Tindall, Jones and the rest of Howe's staff were instead focused on maintaining standards behind the scenes, imploring the players to put in performances that would make the head coach proud.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

His voice was imploring; it was as though he were begging to be reassured.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Related Words

• beseech
• plead
• pray
• urge