as in argues
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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Recent Examples of pleads
Other suspect pleads not guilty Rodriguez, 18, was arraigned on the same indictment and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
—
Christina Fan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Heuermann pleads guilty to seven counts of murder, involving the killings of Barthelemy, Brainard-Barnes, Costello, Costilla, Mack, Taylor and Waterman.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go with him.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
But in an earlier scene, Nixon pleads with his wife not to divorce him, reminding her of their idyllic courtship days; Williams’ music here is a lyrical love theme for solo trumpet and strings — pure bittersweet Americana.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 20 Dec. 2025
Williamson pleads ‘not guilty’ Almost a full year after she was interviewed by the FBI, Williamson was arrested in her Carmichael home.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
After her sisters turn to dust, Winifred pleads with Becca for help.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
Christina Fan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Heuermann pleads guilty to seven counts of murder, involving the killings of Barthelemy, Brainard-Barnes, Costello, Costilla, Mack, Taylor and Waterman.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go with him.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
But in an earlier scene, Nixon pleads with his wife not to divorce him, reminding her of their idyllic courtship days; Williams’ music here is a lyrical love theme for solo trumpet and strings — pure bittersweet Americana.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 20 Dec. 2025
Williamson pleads ‘not guilty’ Almost a full year after she was interviewed by the FBI, Williamson was arrested in her Carmichael home.
—Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 15 Nov. 2025
After her sisters turn to dust, Winifred pleads with Becca for help.
—Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Stiffler pleads to fight against tax increases, scrutinizing incoming land developers, and back law enforcement if voted onto the council, her campaign site says.
—Pj Green
october 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleads
Verb
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Dillon argues that there must be areas further removed from residential neighborhoods for the county to build a new landfill.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
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The lawsuit argues that Magic City's operators, APS Valet and its leadership, and other affiliated entities were negligent in hiring, training and supervising security personnel, and in allowing armed security to operate in areas accessible to the public without proper safeguards.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Abbott contends the policy weakens statewide coordination with federal authorities.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The piece contends that while rumors circulated among political gossips and online, these remained unsubstantiated whispers that did not meet journalism’s evidentiary threshold for publication.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The system reasons underneath, processing infinitely complex 3D scenarios, handling trade clashes, regulations and tradeoffs - learning from user feedback over time to eliminate the need for users to supervise its intelligence.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Cukor insists that Maven was never supposed to be a weapon.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2026
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While Iran has set ending the wars in Lebanon and the region as a condition for talks with the United States, Lebanon insists on representing itself.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pricing information, the FTC asserts, was not as transparent.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Apr. 2026
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Reeves — actually the nicest man in show business — is a recessive passenger whose metatextual casting offers a convenient smokescreen for Hill to unleash his id, and Ira quickly asserts himself as the movie’s dominant force.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pleads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleads. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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