plead

[pleed]

verb (used without object)

pleaded, pled, pleading. 

1. to appeal or entreat earnestly.

   to plead for time.

   Synonyms: supplicate, beg

2. to use arguments or persuasions, as with a person, for or against something.

   She pleaded with him not to take the job.

   Synonyms: reason

3. to afford an argument or appeal.

   His youth pleads for him.

4. Law.

   1. to make any allegation or plea in an action at law.

   2. to put forward an answer on the part of a defendant to a legal declaration or charge.

   3. to address a court as an advocate.

   4. Obsolete.,  to prosecute a suit or action at law.

verb (used with object)

pleaded, pled, pleading. 

1. to allege or urge in defense, justification, or excuse.

   to plead ignorance.

   Synonyms: claim

2. Law.

   1. to maintain (a cause) by argument before a court.

   2. to allege or set forth (something) formally in an action at law.

   3. to allege or cite in legal defense.

      to plead a statute of limitations.

plead

/ pliːd /

verb

1. to appeal earnestly or humbly (to)

2. (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

3. to provide an argument or appeal (for)

   her beauty pleads for her

4. law to declare oneself to be (guilty or not guilty) in answer to the charge

5. law to advocate (a case) in a court of law

6. (intr) law

   1. to file pleadings

   2. to address a court as an advocate

Other Word Forms

• replead verb
• unpleaded adjective
• pleader noun
• pleadable adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plead¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of plead¹

C13: from Old French plaidier, from Medieval Latin placitāre to have a lawsuit, from Latin placēre to please; see _plea

Example Sentences

James Comey, the former director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, has pleaded not guilty to making false statements to lawmakers and obstructing a congressional proceeding.

Read more on BBC

"You're captured on the Ring doorbell leaving and you return without the car," the officer told him while he pleaded innocence in his living room.

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Dozens of prominent lawyers in Los Angeles as well as several accomplished retired judges pleaded for a lenient sentence for Lira.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due to stand trial at the District Court for the District of Columbia in April.

Read more on BBC

Williams agreed in May to plead guilty to a single count of threats regarding fire and explosives.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• allege 
• argue 
• assert 
• cite 
• declare 
• maintain 
• respond 

When To Use

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.