appeal

American  

[uh-peel] / əˈpil /

noun

• appeals
  plural

1. an earnest request for aid, support, sympathy, mercy, etc.; entreaty; petition; plea.

   Synonyms:

   invocation, supplication, prayer

2. a request or reference to some person or authority for a decision, corroboration, judgment, etc.

   Synonyms:

   solicitation, suit

3. Law.

   1. an application or proceeding for review by a higher tribunal.

   2. (in a legislative body or assembly) a formal question as to the correctness of a ruling by a presiding officer.

   3. Obsolete. a formal charge or accusation.

4. the power or ability to attract, interest, amuse, or stimulate the mind or emotions.

   The game has lost its appeal.

   Synonyms:

   attraction

5. Obsolete. a summons or challenge.

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verb (used without object)

• appeals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• appealed,
  past participle,  past
• appealing
  present participle

1. to ask for aid, support, mercy, sympathy, or the like; make an earnest entreaty.

   The college appealed to its alumni for funds.

   Synonyms:

   ask, request

2. Law. to apply for review of a case or particular issue to a higher tribunal.

3. to have need of or ask for proof, a decision, corroboration, etc.

4. to be especially attractive, pleasing, interesting, or enjoyable.

   The red hat appeals to me.

verb (used with object)

• appeals,
  present (3rd person singular)
• appealed,
  past participle,  past
• appealing
  present participle

1. Law.

   1. to apply for review of (a case) to a higher tribunal.

   2. Obsolete. to charge with a crime before a tribunal.

idioms

1. appeal to the country, country.

appeal British  

/ əˈpiːl /

noun

1. a request for relief, aid, etc

2. the power to attract, please, stimulate, or interest

   a dress with appeal

3. an application or resort to another person or authority, esp a higher one, as for a decision or confirmation of a decision

4. law

   1. the judicial review by a superior court of the decision of a lower tribunal

   2. a request for such review

   3. the right to such review

5. cricket a verbal request to the umpire from one or more members of the fielding side to declare a batsman out

6. English law (formerly) a formal charge or accusation

   appeal of felony

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verb

1. (intr) to make an earnest request for relief, support, etc

2. (intr) to attract, please, stimulate, or interest

3. law to apply to a superior court to review (a case or particular issue decided by a lower tribunal)

4. (intr) to resort (to), as for a decision or confirmation of a decision

5. (intr) cricket to ask the umpire to declare a batsman out

6. (intr) to challenge the umpire's or referee's decision

Synonym Usage

Appeal, entreat, petition, supplicate mean to ask for something wished for or needed. Appeal and petition may concern groups and formal or public requests. Entreat and supplicate are usually more personal and urgent. To appeal is to ask earnestly for help or support, on grounds of reason, justice, common humanity, etc.: to appeal for contributions to a cause. To petition is to ask by written request, by prayer, or the like, that something be granted: to petition for more playgrounds. Entreat suggests pleading: The captured knight entreated the king not to punish him. To supplicate is to beg humbly, usually from a superior, powerful, or stern (official) person: to supplicate that the lives of prisoners be spared.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• appealability
  noun
• appealer
  noun
• nonappealability
  noun
• reappeal
  verb
• appealable
  adjective
• nonappealable
  adjective
• unappealed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• appeals
  plural

Participles

• appealing
  present
• appealed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• appeal
  simple
• appeals
  simple
• have appealed
  perfect
• has appealed
  perfect
• am appealing
  progressive
• are appealing
  progressive
• is appealing
  progressive
• have been appealing
  perfect progressive
• has been appealing
  perfect progressive

Past

• appealed
  simple
• had appealed
  perfect
• was appealing
  progressive
• were appealing
  progressive
• had been appealing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will appeal
  simple
• will have appealed
  perfect
• will be appealing
  progressive
• will have been appealing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of appeal

First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English a(p)pelen, from Anglo-French, Old French a(p)peler, from Latin appellāre “to speak to, address,” from ap- ap- ¹ + -pellāre “to push repeatedly,” stem of pellere “to drive, push, strike”; (for the noun) Middle English ap(p)el, from Anglo-French, Old French apel, noun derivative of ap(p)eler

Explanation

Appeal means "to ask, or address." If you appeal to someone's better nature, you're asking them for mercy. If a shirt doesn't appeal to you, you could also say it doesn't "speak" to you, or more simply, you don't like it. Appeal can also be used as a noun to refer to a request, as in "his parents ignored his appeal for a later curfew," or to refer to something's attractiveness or desirability, as in "we all agreed on the appeal of a tropical vacation." In judicial contexts, appeal means "to call upon a higher court to review a lower court's decision." If a lawyer appeals a court's conviction of her client, she's asking a higher court to throw the decision out. This word descends from the Latin appellare, "to address, call upon."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appeal appeals appealed appealing

However, the court rejected the appeal in July, with documents stating his medical condition was not "life-threatening" and added he would be able to access care in the UK.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Victor Granado, a longtime friend of Flávio, is among those hoping the candidate’s more conciliatory nature and softer rhetoric than his father’s will help broaden his appeal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Meta said it would appeal against the ruling.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

“Boomer candy” funds got the name because they appeal to retirees.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

These two principles—holism and underdetermination—are what is being invoked when appeal is made to the Duhem-Quine thesis.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Her repeated appeals to Taliban leaders to re-open classrooms for women and girls have been ignored.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The immigration appeals board’s decision applies to future travel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

An appeals court last week upheld a district court order halting work on the ballroom but put its ruling on hold to allow for the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

The court of appeals examines it next; it will reach the same conclusion as Judge Williams.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

Popular music is, by definition, music that appeals to many people.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

West Yorkshire Police has appealed for two people, one of whom is called Sophie, who stopped to help the injured man to come forward.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Deckers Outdoor, in May, also said its Ugg Zora line — which has the fluffy interior an Ugg boot in roughly the shape of a ballet shoe — had also appealed to customers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

Yasukuni this week also appealed to visitors to refrain from wearing military-style uniforms so that the "general public can worship in peace and quiet at our shrine".

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The first fire is being investigated as suspected arson, and Cambridgeshire Police has appealed for information.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Determined to get Bobby to Moscow, Regina had appealed to the producers to help her come up with a ticket not only for her son but also for his sister Joan to accompany him.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

But what some perceive as a negative makes the Green Lantern legend appealing to others, especially those driven to ascend through ambition and hard work.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

His price is appealing and he has shown that he can score goals, but Sunderland have competition for the central striker position, most notably Brian Brobbey.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the event that Frimpong grants the injunction, Mummolo asked her to stay the order by 14 days so they could consider appealing the ruling to the 9th circuit court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

These funds specialize in using derivatives in ways that are particularly appealing to older, more risk-averse investors, ETF industry experts said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

“Let me tell you, apprehending a fairy is no easy task. Slippery critters. The trick usually involves appealing to their vanity. Even then, takes quite a bit of know-how.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

• apply
• ask
• call
• call upon
• claim
• contest
• demand
• petition
• plead
• pray
• propose
• refer
• require
• submit
• sue
• urge