appeal

American  

[uh-peel] / əˈpil /

noun

• appeals
  plural

1. an earnest request for aid, support, sympathy, mercy, etc.; entreaty; petition; plea.

   Synonyms:

   invocation, supplication, prayer

2. a request or reference to some person or authority for a decision, corroboration, judgment, etc.

   Synonyms:

   solicitation, suit

3. Law.

   1. an application or proceeding for review by a higher tribunal.

   2. (in a legislative body or assembly) a formal question as to the correctness of a ruling by a presiding officer.

   3. Obsolete. a formal charge or accusation.

4. the power or ability to attract, interest, amuse, or stimulate the mind or emotions.

   The game has lost its appeal.

   Synonyms:

   attraction

5. Obsolete. a summons or challenge.

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verb (used without object)

• appeals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• appealed,
  past participle,  past
• appealing
  present participle

1. to ask for aid, support, mercy, sympathy, or the like; make an earnest entreaty.

   The college appealed to its alumni for funds.

   Synonyms:

   ask, request

2. Law. to apply for review of a case or particular issue to a higher tribunal.

3. to have need of or ask for proof, a decision, corroboration, etc.

4. to be especially attractive, pleasing, interesting, or enjoyable.

   The red hat appeals to me.

verb (used with object)

• appeals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• appealed,
  past participle,  past
• appealing
  present participle

1. Law.

   1. to apply for review of (a case) to a higher tribunal.

   2. Obsolete. to charge with a crime before a tribunal.

idioms

1. appeal to the country, country.

appeal British  

/ əˈpiːl /

noun

1. a request for relief, aid, etc

2. the power to attract, please, stimulate, or interest

   a dress with appeal

3. an application or resort to another person or authority, esp a higher one, as for a decision or confirmation of a decision

4. law

   1. the judicial review by a superior court of the decision of a lower tribunal

   2. a request for such review

   3. the right to such review

5. cricket a verbal request to the umpire from one or more members of the fielding side to declare a batsman out

6. English law (formerly) a formal charge or accusation

   appeal of felony

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verb

1. (intr) to make an earnest request for relief, support, etc

2. (intr) to attract, please, stimulate, or interest

3. law to apply to a superior court to review (a case or particular issue decided by a lower tribunal)

4. (intr) to resort (to), as for a decision or confirmation of a decision

5. (intr) cricket to ask the umpire to declare a batsman out

6. (intr) to challenge the umpire's or referee's decision

Synonym Usage

Appeal, entreat, petition, supplicate mean to ask for something wished for or needed. Appeal and petition may concern groups and formal or public requests. Entreat and supplicate are usually more personal and urgent. To appeal is to ask earnestly for help or support, on grounds of reason, justice, common humanity, etc.: to appeal for contributions to a cause. To petition is to ask by written request, by prayer, or the like, that something be granted: to petition for more playgrounds. Entreat suggests pleading: The captured knight entreated the king not to punish him. To supplicate is to beg humbly, usually from a superior, powerful, or stern (official) person: to supplicate that the lives of prisoners be spared.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• appealability
  noun
• appealer
  noun
• nonappealability
  noun
• reappeal
  verb
• appealable
  adjective
• nonappealable
  adjective
• unappealed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• appeals
  plural

Participles

• appealing
  present
• appealed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• appeal
  simple
• appeals
  simple
• have appealed
  perfect
• has appealed
  perfect
• am appealing
  progressive
• are appealing
  progressive
• is appealing
  progressive
• have been appealing
  perfect progressive
• has been appealing
  perfect progressive

Past

• appealed
  simple
• had appealed
  perfect
• was appealing
  progressive
• were appealing
  progressive
• had been appealing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will appeal
  simple
• will have appealed
  perfect
• will be appealing
  progressive
• will have been appealing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of appeal

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English a(p)pelen, from Anglo-French, Old French a(p)peler, from Latin appellāre “to speak to, address,” from ap- ap- ¹ + -pellāre “to push repeatedly,” stem of pellere “to drive, push, strike”; (for the noun) Middle English ap(p)el, from Anglo-French, Old French apel, noun derivative of ap(p)eler

Explanation

Appeal means "to ask, or address." If you appeal to someone's better nature, you're asking them for mercy. If a shirt doesn't appeal to you, you could also say it doesn't "speak" to you, or more simply, you don't like it. Appeal can also be used as a noun to refer to a request, as in "his parents ignored his appeal for a later curfew," or to refer to something's attractiveness or desirability, as in "we all agreed on the appeal of a tropical vacation." In judicial contexts, appeal means "to call upon a higher court to review a lower court's decision." If a lawyer appeals a court's conviction of her client, she's asking a higher court to throw the decision out. This word descends from the Latin appellare, "to address, call upon."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appeal appeals appealed appealing

His latest appeal was turned down, but he is still hoping for a presidential pardon.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

"The defendants now have the right to appeal," she told reporters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Model Naomi Campbell has won her appeal against a ban on being a charity trustee, after a tribunal ruled that she was unaware of misconduct at her charity Fashion for Relief.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

City have been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period, though they continue to deny any wrongdoing and have until 2 October to submit an appeal.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

One could appeal against the judge’s interpretation of the law and his guidance to the jury, but not against the jury’s determination of the fact.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The court dismissed appeals from hedge funds seeking damages from the company’s failed takeover bid for Volkswagen in 2008.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

They use data and technology to help identify those customers, but also get to know them personally to see what appeals to them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

A final decision in the case will come from the court of appeals.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The invitation comes two days after a federal appeals court upheld the Pentagon's decision to classify Anthropic as a supply chain risk, which prohibits the United States military from using its models.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Nevertheless, appeals for his involvement in the public debate kept arriving at the Rad Lab.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The company’s focus on automated services, like its Bill Pay invoicing system, also appealed to startups looking to keep things lean in a pandemic-disrupted economy.

From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026

Among the critics was Oscar-nominated British actress Florence Pugh, who appealed to men to take a greater role in addressing sexual violence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

But residents couldn’t have appealed a decision they didn’t know about, since the county had failed to notify them of the hearing, Josefberg said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Burnham appealed for "calm on all sides", adding in an interview with BBC television that that "big gains" had been made in Northern Ireland "and we don't want to see things go backwards".

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

He appealed to me as if I had an answer.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

And Carnegie Mellon gets an outpost in the South, a region increasingly appealing to many college students, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

"But several lifesaving supply lines in WHO's Aden warehouse are already at zero stock, including trauma kits and essential medicines," Heinzelmann said, appealing for more funding.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

Let's look at possible scenarios - none of which are particularly appealing.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

What makes the Surfliner so appealing — a picturesque view as the train rides right along the water — is also what makes it so perilous.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

I wanted to find out why it was so appealing and likable.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• apply
• ask
• call
• call upon
• claim
• contest
• demand
• petition
• plead
• pray
• propose
• refer
• require
• submit
• sue
• urge