plead

verb

ˈplēd 

pleaded ˈplē-dəd  or pled also plead ˈpled  ; pleading

intransitive verb

1

: to argue a case or cause in a court of law

2

a

: to make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding

especially : to answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts

b

: to conduct pleadings

3

: to make a plea of a specified nature

How do you plead?

also : to make a plea of guilty

agreed to plead to the lesser charge

4

a

: to argue for or against a claim

b

: to entreat or appeal earnestly

pleading for their lives

transitive verb

1

: to maintain (a case, a cause, etc.) in a court of law or other tribunal

2

: to allege in or by way of a legal plea

must plead and prove actual malice

3

: to offer as a plea usually in defense, apology, or excuse

cannot plead ignorance

pleadable

ˈplē-də-bəl 

adjective

pleader noun

pleadingly

ˈplē-diŋ-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Pleaded vs. Pled

Plead belongs to the same class of verbs as bleed, lead, and feed, and like them it has a past and past participle with a short vowel spelled pled (or sometimes plead, which is pronounced alike). From the beginning, pled has faced competition from the regular form pleaded, which eventually came to predominate in mainstream British English. Pled was and is used in Scottish English, which is likely how it came to American English. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pled was attacked by many American usage commentators (perhaps because it was not in good British use). Though still sometimes criticized, it is fully respectable today and both pled (or plead) and pleaded are in good use in the U.S. In legal use (such as “pleaded guilty,” “pled guilty”), both forms are standard, though pleaded is used with greater frequency. In nonlegal use (such as “pleaded for help”), pleaded appears more commonly, though pled is also considered standard.

Synonyms of plead

• argue
• contend
• reason
• convince
• insist
• assert

Examples of plead in a Sentence

He begged and pleaded, but she would not change her mind.

She couldn't afford a lawyer to plead her case.

“How do you plead?” asked the judge.

“We plead guilty, Your Honor.”

He agreed to plead to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

Recent Examples on the Web

But Kyrgios in 2023 pled guilty to common assault of his ex-girlfriend (the charge was later dismissed in court). —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

The boy’s mother, Deja Taylor, is serving a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to federal gun and child neglect charges. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Meanwhile, Rebecca Haro, Emmanuel's mother and Jake's wife, is still pleading not guilty to murder. —Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

Epstein had in 2008 pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution. —Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English plaiden, pleden "to contend legally, argue in court, bring suit, answer a charge," borrowed from Anglo-French plaider, pleider, pleder "to maintain (a plea), bring an action against" (also continental Old French), verbal derivative of plaid, plé "action at law, plea."

Note: Middle English also had with the same senses pleten, from Anglo-French pleiter, pleter, formed from the variant noun pleit with final t (presumably evident when a vowel-initial word followed in Old French), which continued into early Modern English as plete, pleat.

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing plead

• plead ignorance
• plead the Fifth
• plead the Fifth Amendment

Rhymes for plead

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• breed
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• greed
• heed
• keyed

Kids Definition

plead

verb

ˈplēd 

pleaded ˈplēd-əd  or pled

ˈpled

; pleading

1

: to argue a case in a court of law

2

: to answer to a claim or charge in a court of law

plead not guilty

3

a

: to argue for or against a claim

plead a case before a jury

b

: to appeal earnestly : beg

4

: to offer as a defense, apology, or excuse

plead sickness

pleader noun

Legal Definition

plead

verb

ˈplēd 

pleaded or pled also plead ˈpled  ; pleading

intransitive verb

1

: to make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding

especially : to answer the pleading or charge of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts

the defendant shall be given a copy of the indictment or information before the defendant is called upon to plead

—Kansas Statutes Annotated

see also alternative

2

: to make a specific plea

plead not guilty

also : to make a plea of guilty

agreed to plead to the lesser charge

transitive verb

1

: to allege in or by way of a pleading : state in a pleading

unless plaintiff pleads and proves facts showing actual malice, he cannot recover punitive damages

—Kumaran v. Brotman, 617 N.E.2d 191 (1993)

plead a case of fraudulent conveyance

2

: to offer as an excuse

cannot plead ignorance of the law

pleadable adjective

pleader noun

Etymology

Anglo-French plaider to argue in a court of law, from Old French plaid legal action, trial more at plea