as in prayerful
asking humbly
a pleading husband seeking forgiveness once again from his long-suffering wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in plea
an earnest request
coldhearted tourists pointedly ignoring the pleadings of the city's many street urchins
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in arguing
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
can I plead temporary insanity for having made that foolish decision?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pleading
Charlotte Runcie
july 10, Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
Authorities are investigating videos that reportedly show one of the two New Orleans jail escapees still at large pleading for help from President Trump, reality star Kim Kardashian and rappers Meek Mill and Lil Wayne, among others.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 3 June 2025
Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The Gaslamp Quarter Association sent a letter in late August to Mayor Todd Gloria pleading to delay or scrap the special event pricing.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleading
Noun
After working as a critic for various publications in the UK for over a decade, I was haunted by the desperate look in the eyes of the hundreds of performers I’d been sent to review, a look that fell somewhere between pleading and confrontational.
—Charlotte Runcie
july 10, Literary Hub, 10 July 2025
Authorities are investigating videos that reportedly show one of the two New Orleans jail escapees still at large pleading for help from President Trump, reality star Kim Kardashian and rappers Meek Mill and Lil Wayne, among others.
—Elizabeth Crisp, The Hill, 3 June 2025
Verb
Kohberger had filled out the form before pleading guilty in July.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The Gaslamp Quarter Association sent a letter in late August to Mayor Todd Gloria pleading to delay or scrap the special event pricing.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pleading
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleading
Adjective
-
Korie told Fox News Digital the decision to return to television was prayerful and carefully considered.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
25 July 2025
-
After prayerful reflection and discussion, our team, alongside our Board of Directors, has made the decision to move in a different direction from the band for this year’s festival.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Many of Joaquin's accusers decried his state-level plea deal with the California Attorney General's Office as too lenient.—
Luc Cohen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Elias Rodriguez, who chanted pro-Palestine slogans as he was arrested, was charged with their murder and has entered a not guilty plea.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Who doesn’t have childhood memories of arguing about Boardwalk and Park Place until the popcorn bowl got knocked over during an evening of wholesome family entertainment?—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Sep. 2025
-
In one video, a female student and the professor can be heard arguing over gender identity being taught in a children’s literature class.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The infectious energy and Justin Bieber-style appeal of 25-year-old country hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman was not reflected in the CMA nominations.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The government subsequently dropped its appeal of the magistrate judge’s decision to release Bryant pending his trial, according to a notice on the docket Tuesday evening.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This opens the door for reasoning agents to coordinate across domains with shared context.—
Carl Moberg,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
ChatGPT shows us how far along their chatbot is in reasoning through our question and delivering an answer.—
Alex Mayyasi,
HubSpot,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform called for prayers and held a moment of silence for Kirk during a meeting.—
Zachary Folk,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
When a Republican member of Congress asked House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) if the moment of silence for Kirk could be changed to spoken prayer, a shouting match with the chamber’s Democrats ensued.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tonight's game is one of the biggest in the early going, as both teams have visions of going deep into the playoffs and contending for the Super Bowl this season.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Fortunately for the Mets, most of the National League’s playoff-contending teams are flawed, too.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Evidence showed Wendi’s resentment after a judge denied her 2013 petition to relocate her sons away from Markel in Tallahassee to South Florida to be near her brother and parents.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Dash filed his voluntary petition Thursday and posted about it Friday on Instagram.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleading. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share