Thesaurus results for PLEAS

pleas

noun

plural of plea

as in appeals

an earnest request the captive made an impassioned plea for his life to be spared

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as in excuses

an explanation that frees one from fault or blame my only plea is that I've been overworked lately

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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 pleas By filing that brief handwritten petition, Kohberger is putting himself in the category of many criminal defendants before him, who have argued after the fact that their guilty pleas were coerced. — Mark Guarino, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Maybe the judge will be lenient and agree that his early guilty pleas, plus an absence of previous convictions, should spare him. — Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 Young and Malone have not yet appeared in court to enter pleas in response to the charges. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 In Norwood and North Attleboro their police chiefs are making pleas to keep their cameras rolling. — Mike Sullivan, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Barisone’s subsequent pleas to the police and to dressage authorities had been ignored. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 Clancy was tried in a Massachusetts court of law, one of the few venues where defendants such as Clancy enjoy the presumption of proof for pleas of insanity, once they are allowed to make such a plea. — Richard E. Vatz, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2026 Hayes entered Alford pleas and received a deferred disposition with two years of supervised probation. — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026 Throughout the day, Perkins could be seen outside various polling places making last-minute pleas to voters. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleas

Noun

Tellingly, there were no appeals of any significant volume from Gusto, his team-mates or the home supporters.

— Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Roof’s appeals will probably continue for years, and just the experience of seeing further news stories about him brings back all of the horror of his violence, renewing our wounds.

— Sharon Risher, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of appeals

Noun

Arteta and Arsenal had no need for excuses this time around, though, with Martin Odegaard scoring a late winner after a convincing team performance at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

— Art de Roché, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
That’s not to make excuses, but to put in context, what is also a sputtering, screwball-y film about masculine roles in a waning patriarchal society.

— Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of excuses

Noun

The group then reconvened at the Glendale cemetery, where a priest said prayers over the casket, which was gently lowered into the ground as teary-eyed friends and family members watched.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Texans joined hands, whispered prayers - and some armed themselves, bought supplies and waited.

— Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of prayers

Noun

Frimpong also referenced cases in which immigration officers offered justifications for an arrest that did not match evidence from the scene.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Mulligan’s Lindsay is brittle, entitled and frequently cruel, giving the actress the chance to deliver scathing rejoinders and self-deluded justifications, all with a deep reservoir of personal disappointment.

— Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of justifications

Noun

Successful habeas petitions do not necessarily lead to quick resolutions.

— Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
After pleadings and petitions from the Portuguese community in Fall River, de Mello was released in January 1914 after serving approximately 21 years and was deported to Portugal.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of petitions

Noun

And there might be strategic reasons to hold Luzardo back for a potential Game 3.

— Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The move is striking for a number of reasons, ranging from the existing budget disparities between the two parties involved to the fact that the money would be used for projects that the current NIH leadership has explicitly rejected.

— John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of reasons

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plead (to)

pleas

pleasance

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“Pleas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleas. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pleas

noun

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