pleading 1 of 3

adjective

Definition of pleadingnext
as in prayerful
asking humbly a pleading husband seeking forgiveness once again from his long-suffering wife

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pleading

2 of 3

noun

ˈplē-diŋ How to pronounce pleading (audio)
as in plea
an earnest request coldhearted tourists pointedly ignoring the pleadings of the city's many street urchins

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pleading

3 of 3

verb

present participle of plead
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?

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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
Noun
Some – asking politely, saying please and thank you each time – work better than others, such as nagging or pleading. — Angela J. Narayan, The Conversation, 9 June 2026 She has now been transferred to a hospital in Tehran for treatment, her lawyer Mostafa Nili posted on X on Sunday, after days of pleading by her family and others. — Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 13 May 2026
Verb
Robert Tulloch, now 43, was automatically sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the 2001 stabbing deaths of Half and Susanne Zantop. — ABC News, 13 July 2026 Last month, Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors and lenders of at least $248 million. — Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pleading
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleading
  1. prayerful
  2. plea
  3. arguing
  4. begging
  5. appeal
  6. reasoning
  7. prayer
  8. contending
Adjective
  • Tigua dancers of the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo performed a prayerful ceremony traditional before a hunt.
    — Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
  • That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.
    — Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Definition of prayerful
Noun
  • Each post has been circulated repeatedly with desperate pleas from bereaved owners and basic information about their beloved animals.
    — Anabella Gonzalez, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Deborah Black had to pay $16,000 in restitution, while Victoria Wilson agreed to repay the city $12,000 in her plea deal.
    — Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of plea
Verb
  • Earlier on Thursday, Paramount filed its opposition, arguing that the states are unlikely to prevail on their case and should not be granted a restraining order.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 July 2026
  • In 2013, the Surfrider Foundation sued Khosla’s LLCs, arguing that the Coastal Act required them to obtain a permit before restricting public access to the beach.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 July 2026
Definition of arguing
Adjective
  • Violators can be punished with fines up to $500 and three months in jail under one anti-begging law and with fines starting at up to $100 and 10 days in jail under a law against soliciting contributions from people in cars.
    — Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of begging
Noun
  • The verdict is still subject to post-trial motions and possible appeals.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026
  • Plastic appeals to cats because of its texture, sound and smell.
    — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of appeal
Verb
  • The update to Muse Spark beats out Google’s latest release of Gemini in benchmarks measuring coding and reasoning capabilities, according to the tech giant.
    — Ben Weiss, Fortune, 9 July 2026
  • Judge Biggs largely agreed with Williamson that Ford should have known her counterclaims were without merit, reasoning that outlook became clear after the court held the five-year contract was void as a matter of law.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of reasoning
Noun
  • Pamela with Sayveon and her youngest sonPamela Anderson Pamela and her community in Charlottesville have turned to prayer.
    — Meghan O'Brien, NBC news, 20 July 2026
  • Funerals were scarcely allowed in occupied Bershad, and public prayers for the dead were virtually impossible, said Shternshis.
    — Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
Definition of prayer
Verb
  • Beijing has so far avoided that framing, and is contending fiercely with Washington across the board.
    — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 15 July 2026
  • Others disagreed with Matheson’s assertion, contending that the Coliseum sale’s complications simply reflect the troubled economics behind developing the kind of sports-and-entertainment multiplex that OAC envisions.
    — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 13 July 2026
Definition of contending

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Cite this Entry

“Pleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleading. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pleading

Nglish: Translation of pleading for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pleading

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