verb
-
to ask (a person) earnestly; beg or plead with; implore
-
to make an earnest request or petition for (something)
-
an archaic word for treat
Related Words
See appeal.
Other Word Forms
- entreatingly adverb
- entreatment noun
- nonentreating adjective
- nonentreatingly adverb
- unentreated adjective
- unentreating adjective
Etymology
Origin of entreat
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English entreten, from Middle French entrait(i)er; see origin at en- 1, treat
Explanation
To entreat is to ask for something that is really important, like when you entreat the jury to spare your life. The verb entreat implies that the person doing the entreating is really serious about what has to happen. Maybe it's even a matter of life and death, like when parents entreat their children to never drive drunk. Synonyms for entreat are plead, beg, beseech, and implore — all of these are words not to be used lightly. They carry more weight than ask and request.
Vocabulary lists containing entreat
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!
Romeo and Juliet
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!
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
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.
Optimists and happy warriors entreat us to lean on each other to get through these grim times, insisting that community is our strength.
From Salon • Jan. 8, 2026
“To that end, I entreat Afghanistan’s friends in the West to intercede for us in Washington and in New York, with Congress and with the Biden administration,” Mr. Massoud wrote.
From Washington Times • Aug. 27, 2021
To that end, I entreat Afghanistan’s friends in the West to intercede for us in Washington and in New York, with Congress and with the Biden administration.
From Washington Post • Aug. 18, 2021
The signatories entreat him to rapidly expand testing to counter huge lines and speed up test results which can take two weeks.
From The Guardian • Aug. 8, 2020
Upon this occasion my father said, with an expression of unbounded wonder, “My dearest Victor, what infatuation is this? My dear son, I entreat you never to make such an assertion again.”
From "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
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.
