Showing results for "pleading"

• present participle of plead.

pleading

American  

[plee-ding] / ˈpli dɪŋ /

noun

pleadings plural

1. the act of a person who pleads.

2. Law.

   1. the advocating of a cause in a court of law.

   2. the art or science of setting forth or drawing pleas in legal causes.

   3. a formal statement, usually written, setting forth the cause of action or defense of a case.

   4. pleadings, the successive statements delivered alternately by plaintiff and defendant until the issue is joined.

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pleading British  

/ ˈpliːdɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of presenting a case in court, as by a lawyer on behalf of his client

2. the art or science of preparing the formal written statements of the parties to a legal action See also pleadings

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pleadingness
  noun
• nonpleading
  adjective
• unpleading
  adjective
• nonpleadingly
  adverb
• pleadingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pleadings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pleading

1250–1300; Middle English pledynge (gerund). See plead, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

And in pleading guilty, Bolton admitted to having committed a crime.

From Slate • Jun. 26, 2026

Silent prayer vigils, cautiously worded protest banners and T-shirts pleading for neighbourhoods to be spared -- Hanoi residents are showing rare public opposition to a massive redevelopment scheme that could displace hundreds of thousands.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

The 61-year-old has been remanded in custody since pleading guilty last month and is facing a substantial jail term.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

Eventually, exhausted with pleading with the political system for their survival, Duncan told Orleck, “I got to dreaming. We all did.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Nan answered my pleading look with a discreet shrug.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry