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

On one TikTok account, which the BBC is not naming, a victim is openly mocked for pleading for help to find their stolen possessions.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

But collectively, they have flooded Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube with videos of pitiful-looking animals - mostly dogs and cats, but even rabbits – with commentary pleading for donations to shelter, feed and treat them.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

The Quintanas were each sentenced in February 2024 in Miami’s federal court to serve 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to make customs declarations and conspiring against the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

In Florida, a viral video shows a woman, overwhelmed with emotion, pleading with an immigration judge to free her terminally ill father from ICE detention.

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

His eyes seemed to be pleading for me to understand.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper