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

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Etymology

Origin of pleading

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pleading pleadings

Everywhere I looked, I recognized another face from years of reporting on Muslims and politics, except I was used to seeing these people angry, exhausted, or pleading with someone in power to listen.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2026

But the AI plagiarists harvesting her jokes have left Jasunas, a Los Angeles-based artist, pleading with Silicon Valley tech giants to intervene.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2026

The jury heard the husband in the Stockport area case, after pleading guilty, had given an account of his actions and would appear as a witness.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026

Cornell’s current president, Michael Kotlikoff, is pleading to keep his job amid faculty unrest over the scandal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Seven turned around, her face pleading, her heart racing.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

Family lawyers say many clients are using chatbots to generate legal advice, draft pleadings and suggest strategies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

In pleadings filed in the researchers’ case, the U.S.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

He expects to see more pleadings for exemptions from state housing laws.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 2, 2025

But those pleadings, often couched in apocalyptic tones, have fallen flat.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2025

She had had no legal help; because of defects in her pleadings and the allegations she made in her complaint, we could secure only a small settlement judgment for her.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

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