plead
- to make any allegation or plea in an action at law.
- to put forward an answer on the part of a defendant to a legal declaration or charge.
- to address a court as an advocate.
- Obsolete. to prosecute a suit or action at law.
- to maintain (a cause) by argument before a court.
- to allege or set forth (something) formally in an action at law.
- to allege or cite in legal defense: to plead a statute of limitations.
Origin of plead
OTHER WORDS FROM plead
re·plead, verb, re·plead·ed, re·plead·ing.un·plead·ed, adjectiveWords nearby plead
MORE ABOUT PLEAD
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.
Where does plead come from?
The first records of plead come from the 1200s. It ultimately comes from the Latin placēre, meaning “to please.” The noun plea, which is also used in law, shares this origin, as does the word please.
Plead is commonly used in law but is generally used in the context of passionate appeals or arguments outside of courtrooms.
Pleading is often done by people who have run out of options. The word often implies desperation or intense need. Someone who is pleading for mercy has no options other than to ask to be spared harm or punishment.
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What are some other forms related to plead?
What are some synonyms for plead?
What are some words that share a root or word element with plead?
What are some words that often get used in discussing plead?
How is plead used in real life?
Outside of law, plead implies that someone is passionately begging for something.
Your honor, I'd like to plead oopsie daisies
— Disastrophé🖤 (@moonsixnine) November 8, 2020
I heard thunder from afar. I plead for rain. The heat is just too much. :-( 😓
— GemCab (@G_A_Cabreros) May 3, 2017
Why is it so hard to find a bassist? I plead to the gods of rock to help me. =(
— Anuar Chain-Haddad (@McKnzieRbrts) January 6, 2010
Try using plead!
Pleading usually involves making which of the following things?
A. an order
B. a request
C. a question
D. a demand
How to use plead in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for plead
- to file pleadings
- to address a court as an advocate