pleas

noun

plural of plea
1
as in appeals
an earnest request the captive made an impassioned plea for his life to be spared

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in excuses
an explanation that frees one from fault or blame my only plea is that I've been overworked lately

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 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 His attorney, Kathy Nester, entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to all charges at an arraignment Tuesday. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 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 Not guilty pleas were entered on the defendant's behalf following the judge's ruling. — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Robinson was arraigned and his attorney entered not guilty pleas on his behalf. — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026 For good measure, Pabst’s social media updates took a tongue-in-cheek approach that may have actually convinced people the posts were more playful than actual pleas for help. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026 Family of man killed demands IMPD shooting video IMPD allowed the family to view edited of the body camera footage, despite their pleas to see unredacted video. — Aubrey Wright, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleas
  1. appeals
  2. excuses
  3. prayers
  4. justifications
  5. petitions
  6. reasons
Noun
  • Lucas chose to accept his execution and waive further appeals after DeSantis signed his death warrant in July.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The assessor’s office staff said they’re braced for a slew of appeals from out-of-state residents.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of appeals
Noun
  • Replacing a legend is never easy — but in terms of the players at his disposal, Enzo Maresca has no excuses.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • According to the complaint, Gilchrist would sporadically pay back his clients, but would come up with excuses such as government shutdowns and even claiming to be hospitalized to delay payments.
    — Maven Navarro, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of excuses
Noun
  • His wife and three children posted a video on Facebook asking for prayers, and hoping Smith is found soon.
    — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Our prayers and our good example help our neighbor do the same, and everyone benefits.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of prayers
Noun
  • Idaho allows exemptions for medical, religious or other reasons, and medical justifications account for very few of those exemptions, according to data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 21 Aug. 2026
  • At the center lies carceral safety politics—logics that turn fears of violence into justifications for punitive responses.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of justifications
Noun
  • And residents have banded together with the power of clipboard petitions, homemade T-shirts and Facebook groups.
    — Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Over 2,600 petitions have been filed in Louisiana, which has many ICE detention centers.
    — Carla Astudillo, ProPublica, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of petitions
Noun
  • But there are reasons this sort of performance goes beyond the game-state defence.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In my experience, this assumption is one of the biggest reasons capital-raising campaigns fail.
    — Ramesh Tambe, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of reasons

Browse Nearby Words

plead (to)
pleas
pleasance
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Cite this Entry

“Pleas.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleas. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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