implore

verb

im·​plore im-ˈplȯr 

implored; imploring

transitive verb

1

a

: to make an earnest request to (someone) : beg

We earnestly implore you to bow out of the practice of clinical medicine and permit us to get on with our difficult job.

—William Steinsmith

… electronic highway signs implore Californians to "Save Water" and municipalities impose increasingly draconian conservation measures …

—Henry I. Miller

b

: to say (something) as a request in a sincere or urgent manner

"Keep your voice down," implored Lupin.

—J. K. Rowling

… accountability has become a watchword of relief agencies around the world, with new guidelines to help donors know that their aid won't be wasted. Give money, Presidents Bush and Clinton implore, and by implication, leave the rest to professionals.

—Nancy Gibbs

2

: to ask or beg for (something) earnestly

On this repetition of Mr Mantalini's fatal threat, Madame Mantalini wrung her hands, and implored the interference of Ralph Nickleby …

—Charles Dickens

To Neapolitans habitually blending pagan and Christian themes, the volcano also became, through its successive manifestations, a personality against whose rages they implored protection from their patron saint …

—Shirley Hazzard

imploringly adverb

Synonyms

• appeal (to)
• beg
• beseech
• besiege
• conjure
• entreat
• impetrate
• importune
• petition
• plead (to)
• pray
• solicit
• supplicate

Choose the Right Synonym for implore

beg, entreat, beseech, implore, supplicate, adjure, importune mean to ask urgently.

beg suggests earnestness or insistence in the asking.

they begged for help

entreat implies an effort to persuade or to overcome resistance.

entreated me to join them

beseech and implore imply a deeply felt anxiety.

I beseech you to have mercy

implored her not to leave him

supplicate suggests a posture of humility.

with bowed heads they supplicated their Lord

adjure implies advising as well as pleading.

we were adjured to tell the truth

importune suggests an annoying persistence in trying to break down resistance to a request.

importuning viewers for contributions

Examples of implore in a Sentence

Don't go. I implore you.

“Think of the children!” he implored.

Recent Examples on the Web

The film's titular metaphor is especially salient in a scene in which Ethan implores Riley not to look at herself through a mirror but through his eyes, something many people told Snow during her own recovery. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

In a roughly 200-word post on Tuesday about the bill and its implications on X, Kirk implored Nebraska to implement a winner-take-all electoral system by passing Lippincott's bill. —Nicholas Kerr, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024

Morrison also noticed similarities to his Invisibles series, in which a secret group of rebels roam multiple planes of reality, imploring the audience to wake up to the inhuman masters who are controlling the real world. —Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

After the show, an anonymous user leaked House’s joke on Weibo, a popular social-media site, where nationalists verbally thrashed the comic, imploring officials to bring him and Xiaoguo to justice. —Chang Che, The New Yorker, 26 Mar. 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly implored Congress for help, but House Republican leadership has not been willing to bring the Ukraine aid to the floor for a vote, saying any aid must first address border security needs. —CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024

While Etchells is asking for a more reflective relationship with our screens, Haidt implores governments—and parents—to tear up our current approaches and start afresh. —Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 29 Mar. 2024

Netanyahu flew to Washington, D.C., in 2015 to implore U.S. lawmakers to obstruct President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. —Anshel Pfeffer, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2024

The idea to form that subcommittee was initially brought forward by Miki during a March 4 meeting after residents for months had implored the body to call for a ceasefire, Miki said. —Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French or Latin; Middle French implorer, from Latin implorare, from in- + plorare to cry out

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

implore

verb

im·​plore im-ˈplō(ə)r 

-ˈplȯ(ə)r

implored; imploring

: to call upon with a humble request : beseech

implored the manager to give her more responsibility

imploringly adverb