entreaty
Americannoun
-
entreaties
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of entreaty
Explanation
"Ain't too proud to beg" is what the word entreaty is all about. When you make an entreaty, you're begging or pleading for something. An entreaty is the kind of request you make to King Kong when he's dangling you from the top of the Empire State Building. It's an appeal you make to someone who usually has the power to grant your wish. Entreaty is often used in the plural: "After all my pleas and entreaties, my teacher still gave me a C."
Vocabulary lists containing entreaty
Pride and Prejudice
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!
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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!
A Christmas Carol
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.
See Examples For:
There’s also a tangible entreaty for global communities to lean on the networks and relationships they have—with their neighbors, schools, civil organizations, governments, and corporations—and address an issue everyone agrees we should be worried about.
From Slate ● May 28, 2026
Producer Patrick Spence also made an impassioned entreaty: "It's not over. We beg you... get the story out."
From BBC ● May 11, 2025
What’s a critic to do in the face of such a courteous entreaty?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2023
Such an entreaty could be an effective reminder too, that the chatbots are made from us.
From New York Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
Yossarian tore his eyes away from the gaze of burning entreaty Dobbs had fastened on him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
There is no public confirmation of prosecutions in any of the 17 cases, despite the entreaties of the Mexican government to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Even the entreaties of Islamic scholars and officials of Islamic countries the world over have not bent the iron will of the emir and his enforcers, especially on the most sensitive issue of education.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Comcast chairman and controlling shareholder Brian Roberts had resisted investor entreaties on a spinoff until Monday.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Dozens of ministerial-level entreaties by the State Department helped deliver contributions of medical personnel from the U.K. and allies across Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
“He was too good!—she could not endure the thought!—she would not give him such a troublesome office for the world,”—brought on the desired repetition of entreaties and assurances,—and a very few minutes settled the business.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
