plead
verb (used without object)
to appeal or entreat earnestly.
was pleading
-
past progressiveof plead.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This was radical stuff in 1776, when Abigail Adams, the redoubtable wife of John, the founding father and future president, was pleading with her husband to “remember the ladies.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Perhaps he didn’t understand the new Protestant Communion—rather than at an altar, the sacrament now took place over a table covered with a simple cloth—and he was pleading that someone explain it to him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
"I was pleading for someone to carry me and take me to hospital. A good Samaritan brought me here," he recalled in an interview with a freelance journalist working for the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2025
James Elder, spokesperson for the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, said from southern Gaza that the agency was pleading for the truce to be made permanent.
From Reuters ● Nov. 24, 2023
My little sister wasn’t just asking me to run with her, she was pleading with me.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
