pleading

American  

[plee-ding] / ˈpli dɪŋ /

noun

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

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

Etymology

Origin of pleading

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

Example Sentences

Ahmed's son is heard pleading with them for more time, but they are told it must be done soon.

From BBC

But when I got to college and fell madly in love for the first time, I was primed for the Kate Bush version of “Wuthering Heights,” an avant-garde musical number, all shrieks and pleading.

From Los Angeles Times

Savannah Guthrie and her siblings have released several videos on social media pleading for their mother's release.

From BBC

I was on my knees on the floor, with my hands clenched and lifted up to him, the way people look in pictures when they’re pleading for mercy.

From Literature

Yaoning Sun, 65, of Chino Hills, was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty in October to one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

From Los Angeles Times