as in begging
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
weary of charities that are always pleading to people of modest means to contribute even more than they already have
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleading (to)
Verb
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Those in charge — as in charge as anybody can be with every policy just a judge’s ruling away from being null and void — have been begging Congress for help for years, but to no avail.—
Ralph D. Russo,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026 -
His parents also pleaded with him to drop the weapon while begging the cops not to shoot their son.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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About 1,000 companies are petitioning the court to scrap the tariffs.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
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In court documents petitioning for Reed-Bell to be held in pre-trial detention, prosecutors said the shooting was motivated by jealousy, with the altercation that led to Miller’s death being prompted by Miller spending time with Reed-Bell’s girlfriend.—
Evy Lewis,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pleading (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleading%20%28to%29. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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