pleading

noun plead·ing \ ˈplē-diŋ \

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Definition of pleading

1 : advocacy of a cause in a court of law

2 a : one of the formal usually written allegations and counter allegations made alternately by the parties in a legal action or proceeding

b : the action or process performed by the parties in presenting such formal allegations until a single point at issue is produced

c : the introduction of one of these allegations and especially the first one

d : the body of rules according to which these allegations are framed

3 : the act or an instance of making a plea

4 : a sincere entreaty

See pleading defined for English-language learners

Examples of pleading in a Sentence

I'm tired of their begging and pleading.
Despite our pleadings to be allowed to leave, they kept us there for several more hours.

Recent Examples of pleading from the Web

For all their pleading to be as native to Assam as their killers, Mr Nath and Mr Das were seen as outsiders.

— The Economist, "From dusty villages to Delhi, Indians seek people to persecute," 5 July 2018
Wes Adams, Anne Arundel County state's attorney, asked the Court of Appeals on Wednesday to seal the pleading that Ramos filed on the day of the shooting.

— david mcfadden, Fox News, "Suspect wrote he aimed to kill everyone at Maryland newsroom," 4 July 2018
Wes Adams, Anne Arundel County state’s attorney, asked the Court of Appeals on Wednesday to seal the pleading that Ramos filed on the day of the shooting.

— david mcfadden, The Seattle Times, "Suspect wrote he aimed to kill everyone at Maryland newsroom," 3 July 2018
Nothing in this outline limits or precludes the parties from raising issues fairly within the pleadings or appropriate defenses.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Text: Federal judge’s ruling temporarily extends housing program for Hurricane Maria referees," 1 July 2018
In court pleadings, the university argued that Olive’s lawsuit must be dismissed because the public institution has sovereign immunity.

— l.m. sixel, Houston Chronicle, "UH can be sued for using photo, judge rules," 14 June 2018
In 2014, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence sued a Missouri gun dealer who allegedly sold a gun to a severely mentally ill woman — over the explicit pleading and warning of the woman’s mother.

— nestor ramos, BostonGlobe.com, "Most gun deaths are suicides. A bill now before Mass. Legislature could help prevent them," 8 May 2018
And while not every girl was lucky enough to score one for Christmas, her Bat Mitzvah, or via relentless parental pleading, the bag established Spade’s brand in the minds of women, young and old, as something to strive for.

— refinery29.com, "What Kate Spade – The Woman, The Bag & The Brand – Meant To Women," 5 June 2018
In 22 pages of handwritten and typed pleadings, the 50-year-old Philippe sued former U.S. ambassadors to Haiti, federal prosecutors involved in his criminal case and unknown agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

— jacqueline charles and jay weaver, miamiherald, "Haiti's Guy Philippe still pursuing freedom, and $100 million, despite his guilty plea," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pleading.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of pleading

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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pleading Synonyms

Synonyms

appeal, cry, desire, entreaty, petition, plea, prayer, solicitation, suit, supplication;

Related Words

application, requisition;

call, claim, demand, insistence;

PLEADING Defined for English Language Learners

pleading

noun

Definition of pleading for English Language Learners

: the act of asking for something in a serious and emotional way
law : one of the formal, usually written statements made by the two sides of a legal case in a court of law

Law Dictionary

pleading

noun plead·ing

legal Definition of pleading

1 a : one of the formal declarations (as a complaint or answer) exchanged by the parties in a legal proceeding (as a suit) setting forth claims, averments, allegations, denials, or defenses; also : a written document embodying such a declaration — see also relation back

b : any of the allegations, averments, claims, denials, or defenses set forth in a pleading

— alternative pleading

: a pleading that sets out an alternative theory in support of a plaintiff's claim for relief or a defendant's defense

— amended pleading

: a pleading that is filed to replace an original pleading and that contains matters omitted from or not known at the time of the original pleading

— responsive pleading \ri-ˈspän-siv-\

: a pleading that directly responds to another pleading (as by denying in an answer allegations in a complaint)

— sham pleading

: a pleading that is factually false, is not made in good faith, and that may be struck

— supplemental pleading

: a pleading that supplements an earlier pleading with matters that have occurred or come into existence since the date of the original pleading

2 : a process or system through which the parties in a legal proceeding present their allegations

— code pleading

: pleading (as fact pleading) done in accordance with the rules set down in a code

Note: Code pleading began in 1848 in New York State and was a departure from the complex system of common-law pleading, which included a lengthy set of stages by which a single issue was produced, and which was determined by the type of writ under which the plaintiff proceeded.

— fact pleading

: pleading that requires a plaintiff to set out in the complaint facts sufficient to establish a cause of action — compare notice pleading in this entry

— notice pleading

: pleading that is characterized especially by a simplified description sufficient to give notice of a claim or defense rather than by a technical account of any facts pertinent to the claim or defense — compare fact pleading in this entry

Note: Notice pleading is allowed under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and in a majority of states, although complex cases often require substantial detail in the pleading.