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
If her best friend, Enid (Emma Myers), pleads with her to consider the fates of her fellow students before running off to play detective, Wednesday will certainly ignore her.
—
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
As Eva finds a new home and community, Matt pleads with Mia, Chilmark’s leader, to be allowed to travel.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
The 2010 track, which was featured on the album of the same name, Swift pleads with her ex-boyfriend to walk out on his wedding.
—Daniela Avila, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Fentanyl kingpin pleads guilty to flooding the United States with killer drug.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Therefore, unless Weinstein pleads guilty to that charge, prosecutors drop the charge or the charge is tried before the end of September, Weinstein's sentencing will presumably be pushed to a later date.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
Confused and frightened, Lucy contacts her brother-in-law and pleads with him to come and help.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Man who mowed down students with his car, killing teen outside Westlake High, pleads guilty.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
The advertisement almost pleads with you to purchase a ticket.
—Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
As Eva finds a new home and community, Matt pleads with Mia, Chilmark’s leader, to be allowed to travel.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
The 2010 track, which was featured on the album of the same name, Swift pleads with her ex-boyfriend to walk out on his wedding.
—Daniela Avila, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Fentanyl kingpin pleads guilty to flooding the United States with killer drug.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
Therefore, unless Weinstein pleads guilty to that charge, prosecutors drop the charge or the charge is tried before the end of September, Weinstein's sentencing will presumably be pushed to a later date.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
Confused and frightened, Lucy contacts her brother-in-law and pleads with him to come and help.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Man who mowed down students with his car, killing teen outside Westlake High, pleads guilty.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2025
The advertisement almost pleads with you to purchase a ticket.
—Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleads
Verb
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Runge argues in The Great Healthcare Disruption that innovation without humanity risks leaving patients behind, while humanity without innovation risks stalling medical progress.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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And seabed curtains could divert warm water toward other glaciers, the paper argues, or disrupt the upwelling of nutrients that feed phytoplankton—a crucial food for many other species.—
Alec Luhn,
Scientific American,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The firings, the lawsuit contends, gutted the bureau of vital expertise.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
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Parker contends that a constellation of factors, including genetics, inflammation, and stress, enable acetaminophen to trigger autism in certain children.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Google, of course, insists the AI Overviews arrangement benefits everyone.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Oscar Martinez of The Office insists to the documentary camera crew on the hunt for what became of the Dunder-Mifflin crew 12 years after the long-running program went off the air.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Children want to change, as Adam Phillips asserts, but adults want to stay the same.—
Rachel Kushner,
New Yorker,
14 Sep. 2025
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Similarly, Hick's law (or the Hick-Hyman law, named for psychologists William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman) asserts that increasing the number of choices a user is presented with will increase their decision time logarithmically.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pleads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleads. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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