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

Brands and retailers are working to appeal to shoppers whose wallets have been stretched by higher costs for gas, beef and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Every third EV sold in the U.S. this year has been a Model Y. This summer, Tesla broadened the vehicle’s appeal by launching a slightly longer variant, the Model Y L, with six seats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

Orange County Rep. Young Kim has removed several references to President Trump from her campaign website as she tries to broaden her appeal to voters in a race against fellow Republican Rep. Ken Calvert.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

"The appeal comes days after Mr Burnham blindsided the industry by handing local authorities the power to impose unlimited tourist taxes," the paper adds.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

All the while, I kept my eyes open for bugs or greens that might appeal to our hungry baby screecher.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

Among the students who passed through his Stanford classrooms was Newsom’s father, William Newsom, who became a state court of appeals justice.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

According to the Axios website, appeals for US intervention from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have so far gone unanswered.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The appeals court kept in place a lower-court ruling that blocked further data sharing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Given the complexity and time-consuming nature of appeals, very few pursue it.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

“Why don’t you run along and partake in some dubious recreation that appeals to you,” Ignatius belched.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

The comedian, who travels several times a week, appealed to airlines for a keep-your-feet-covered policy in an Instagram post to her 5.5 million followers that went viral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Darnell appealed the decision in August, citing his decades in the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

According to KFF, only 1% of ACA-plan denials were appealed in 2024, up from a mere 0.2% in 2021.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Officers have also appealed for anyone with any information to contact them.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

That well-paved world appealed to him, and he missed it as his feet fell on uneven clumps of hardened dirt that threatened to twist his ankles.

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

The researchers are also working to make the cookies more appealing to people who have other food choices.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

With her first cookbook “Homemade” set for its nationwide release in October, she is redoubling her efforts to separate her image from one that’s becoming less commercially appealing by the moment.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

The simplicity of Coast FI makes it both appealing and difficult to rely on.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

McDaniel said one of the most appealing aspects of joining the Chargers staff is that Harbaugh didn’t try to sell him on anything.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

And I’m wasting my time appealing to you, he reflected.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

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