pleading 1 of 3

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pleading

2 of 3

noun

as in plea
an earnest request coldhearted tourists pointedly ignoring the pleadings of the city's many street urchins

Synonyms & Similar Words

pleading

3 of 3

verb

present participle of plead

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
Police’s second search of Annie’s home also came hours after Annie, Savannah, and their brother Camron appeared in a second social media video pleading for Nancy’s kidnappers to release her. Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 9 Feb. 2026 Her son, Camron Guthrie, issued a video pleading with the kidnapper Thursday afternoon, around the time of the ransom letter’s first deadline. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Verb
Those previous charges were dropped in exchange for Moore pleading no contest to misdemeanor trespassing and misdemeanor malicious use of a telecommunications device. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 6 Mar. 2026 The incident resulted in a ticket for impeding traffic, for which she was ordered to pay $197 after pleading no contest in Orange County court on Monday. Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pleading
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleading
Adjective
  • The Sagrada Família was founded as an expiatory church, meaning that it would be financed by prayerful donations from people atoning for their sins.
    D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Pärt’s formulas, born out of long, prayerful periods with sacred texts, offer beauty in the warmth and friction of relationships: melody and tintinnabuli, word and the limits of language, sounds and silence.
    Jeffers Engelhardt, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Kirk was charged by federal prosecutors with a felony but offered a misdemeanor plea deal before the case went to trial.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • They were not required to enter a plea.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Some residents and community groups say conditions around MacArthur Park remain far from resolved, arguing that drug activity and safety concerns persist despite recent enforcement and outreach efforts.
    Teresa Liu, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Citadel Securities published a blistering takedown of the Citrini essay, noting, for instance, that demand for software engineers is up 11% year over year, and more broadly arguing that productivity shocks have historically expanded output and raised real incomes.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
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
Noun
  • While the Congress and the Communists retain loyal voter bases, Shah's party has drawn larger crowds on the campaign trail, highlighting its growing appeal among younger voters seeking an alternative.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
  • In January, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court granted her an appeal to reexamine the matter.
    Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Safety and reasoning transparency OpenAI also introduced a new safety evaluation focused on chain-of-thought reasoning, the step-by-step explanations models generate while solving problems.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Mar. 2026
  • In reasoning training, study participants worked on the ability to solve problems that follow a serial pattern, like identifying the pattern in a letter or number series.
    Akshay Syal, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Tim Pennington called again that evening, Bell said, to ask for prayers as his son's condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.
    ALLEN G. BREED, Arkansas Online, 10 Mar. 2026
  • With a defense-first lineup stuck on the floor and no opportunity to advance the ball, the Nuggets had no choice but to settle for a 60-foot prayer by Gordon at the buzzer.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But unlike many of their other losses to playoff-contending teams, the Lakers answered Denver’s run.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
  • On a Stanley Cup-contending team, he’s best served as a third-line driver.
    Harman Dayal, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleading. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on pleading

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster