plead

American  

[pleed] / plid /

verb (used without object)

pleaded, pled, pleading

1. to appeal or entreat earnestly.

   to plead for time.

   Synonyms:

   supplicate, beg

2. to use arguments or persuasions, as with a person, for or against something.

   She pleaded with him not to take the job.

   Synonyms:

   reason

3. to afford an argument or appeal.

   His youth pleads for him.

4. Law.

   1. to make any allegation or plea in an action at law.

   2. to put forward an answer on the part of a defendant to a legal declaration or charge.

   3. to address a court as an advocate.

   4. Obsolete. to prosecute a suit or action at law.

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verb (used with object)

pleaded, pled, pleading

1. to allege or urge in defense, justification, or excuse.

   to plead ignorance.

   Synonyms:

   claim

2. Law.

   1. to maintain (a cause) by argument before a court.

   2. to allege or set forth (something) formally in an action at law.

   3. to allege or cite in legal defense.

      to plead a statute of limitations.

plead British  

/ pliːd /

verb

1. to appeal earnestly or humbly (to)

2. (tr; may take a clause as object) to give as an excuse; offer in justification or extenuation

   to plead ignorance

   he pleaded that he was insane

3. to provide an argument or appeal (for)

   her beauty pleads for her

4. law to declare oneself to be (guilty or not guilty) in answer to the charge

5. law to advocate (a case) in a court of law

6. (intr) law

   1. to file pleadings

   2. to address a court as an advocate

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

• pleadable
  adjective
• pleader
  noun
• replead
  verb
• unpleaded
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of plead

First recordd in 1200–50; Middle English plaiden, from< Old French plaid(i)er “to go to law, plead,” from early Medieval Latin placitāre “to litigate,” derivative of Latin placitum “opinion, agreed condition.” See plea

Explanation

To plead with someone is to try to convince them to see it your way. Your kids may plead with you to let them go on the super-huge outrageous roller coaster built in 1968, but you know better. The term plead comes from the word plea, which is from the legal system, where lawyers make a plea to the court and argue a case for their client. To plead is to ask for something from someone, often on the verge of begging. You may plead with the phone company to give an appointment time that spans only three hours, but, regardless of your pleading, they will make you wait eight hours for the technician to finally show.

Example Sentences

"Help me go home," viewers hear Odysseus plead, after having first found the King of Ithaca washed up on a far away sea shore.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

As evidence of his innocence mounted, the state offered him a deal in 2011 to plead guilty to a lesser charge and be quickly released for “time served,” which he took.

From Slate • May 5, 2026

The self-confessed spy agreed to plead guilty and tell the FBI everything he knew, in an effort to secure leniency for his wife, Rosario, who faced related charges.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Backed by a big, throwback live band, “Lost Me” beautifully papered over a failed relationship with an uncertain young bravado; “Backup Plan” gave his one-of-kind baritone room to roam and plead.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

And while the crowd clapped, called out, and boogied on that last song, Clayton found an opening to plead his case.

From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• allege
• argue
• assert
• cite
• declare
• maintain
• respond