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 Though not initially successful, Galston’s and Palme’s pleas, along with the work of several other individuals and organizations, set the groundwork for future consideration of ecocide as a crime against nature. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2026 In 2007, federal prosecutors in South Florida negotiated a non-prosecution agreement that spared Epstein federal charges in exchange for guilty pleas to lesser state offenses. — Anna Rahmanan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026 Users have been pleading Google for an AI-free search experience, which would be trivially easy for the tech giant to implement, but those pleas have fallen on deaf ears. — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 8 Nov. 2026 The National Capital Planning Commission heard nearly eight hours of impassioned pleas from veterans, lawmakers, residents and concerned citizens opposed to the structure. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 6 Nov. 2026 As for the next chapters of Glee and Girls, may the writers’ rooms hear our post-election pleas. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 6 Nov. 2026 Despite those pleas, on Tuesday the measure cleared the 60 percent of support required to pass, receiving about 62 percent of votes. — Annie Gowen, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2026 The suspect in Nebraska was detained pending trial after pleading not guilty, while the three suspects in New Jersey have not entered pleas. — ABC News, 29 Oct. 2026 How does Ori feel about Devin and Jelly ignoring his pleas to stay? — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleas
  1. appeals
  2. excuses
  3. prayers
  4. justifications
  5. petitions
  6. reasons
Noun
  • The Planning and Land Use Management Committee instructed the city Planning Department in October 2025 to explore alternative price points for appeals that would decrease the amount of money the city’s general fund would have to subsidize.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
  • That is true, but evidence suggests that such altruistic appeals could fail to increase vaccination and might even backfire.
    — Jessica Fishman, STAT, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of appeals
Noun
  • The Lakers could have had plenty of excuses for a bad performance Monday.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
  • The players understand what’s at stake, and none are making any excuses in the locker room after yet another sluggish start for the unit.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of excuses
Noun
  • Jewish clergy, interfaith leaders and community members came together at the Horowitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza for a 45-minute service featuring prayers, songs and firsthand accounts of the violence that unfolded 88 years ago.
    — Eva Andersen, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
  • Sometimes Lisa Huberman, the social action engagement associate at UMBC Hillel, arrives with Jewish students preparing for a Friday evening gathering while Muslim students are concluding their prayers.
    — Kyle Desrosiers-Levine, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of prayers
Noun
  • Organizations begin with clear values, but over time, small justifications, cultural shortcuts and competing priorities erode moral clarity.
    — Susan Madsen, Forbes.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Amid this intimacy, there are fundamental suspicions and self-serving justifications.
    — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of justifications
Noun
  • Most of these people were freed through habeas corpus petitions, which let detainees challenge the government’s legal right to imprison them.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The state spends more than $200 million a year to adjudicate automatic death penalty appeals and habeas corpus petitions for inmates who, in all likelihood, will never be executed, according to a 2025 report by the Habeas Corpus Resource Center.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of petitions
Noun
  • Individual Americans often join marches against police conduct or Israel for a variety of reasons and remain peaceful.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2026
  • The election created an opportunity to give them reasons to stay, build and discover.
    — Carole LaBonne, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 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 14 Nov. 2026.

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