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

And as corny as that may seem, I implore you: If you have even one microscopic iota of curiosity, see this film.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026

“Our housing and homelessness crises impact everyone in this city—as we navigate this, I implore everyone to lead with care and compassion,” Jurado said in a written statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 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

When Leontes implores his friend to extend his stay, he demurs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

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

Moments later, she implores Charlie to hire an “ugly guy” to do his taxes, and she brushes off a $10,000 payday Tallulah gets as “nothing.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 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

He implored supporters to respect the Italian anthem, reminding them that Italy were the first side to visit Bosnia after the war.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

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

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

“Dad, blink if you can understand us,” we implored.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

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

Abrams, Jane Fonda and Kristen Stewart, have signed an open letter imploring Bonta and other regulators to block the merger.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 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

Annabeth had hoped the statue’s magic aura would keep away the little spiders, but Arachne continued shrieking, imploring them to help.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• beseech
• plead
• pray
• urge