appeal

1 of 2

noun

ap·​peal ə-ˈpēl How to pronounce appeal (audio)
1
law : a legal proceeding by which a case is brought before a higher court for review of the decision of a lower court
2
a
: an application (as to a recognized authority) for corroboration, vindication, or decision
b
: an earnest plea : entreaty
an appeal for help
c
: an organized request for donations
the annual fundraising appeal
3
: the power of arousing a sympathetic response : attraction
Movies had a great appeal for him.
4
law : a criminal accusation

appeal

2 of 2

verb

appealed; appealing; appeals

intransitive verb

1
: to arouse a sympathetic response
an idea that appeals to him
2
: to make an earnest request
We appealed to them for help.
3
law : to take a lower court's decision to a higher court for review
4
: to call upon another for corroboration, vindication, or decision

transitive verb

1
law : to take proceedings to have (a lower court's decision) reviewed in a higher court
2
law : to charge with a crime : accuse
appealability noun
appealable adjective
appealer noun

Examples of appeal in a Sentence

Noun Her jokes are quickly losing their appeal. the wide appeal of the artist's work His appeals to his father for money were ignored. The mayor made an appeal to the people of the city to stay calm. We made a donation during the school's annual appeal. She helped to organize an appeal on behalf of the homeless. My lawyer said the court's decision wasn't correct and that we should file for an appeal. Verb music that appeals to a wide variety of people The government appealed for calm. desperate people who are appealing for help The government appealed to the people to stay calm. He appealed, arguing that there was not enough evidence to convict him. She lost the case and appealed the following month. We plan to appeal the court's decision. The ruling can be appealed within 30 days.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The former Kate Middleton, who married William in a fairy-tale wedding in 2011, has boosted the popularity and appeal of the British monarchy worldwide more than any royal since Princess Diana. arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2024 Apple unsuccessfully resisted that portion of the ruling until the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal in January, forcing the company to relent. Michael Liedtke, Lindsay Whitehurst, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Mar. 2024 Trump's lawyers are likely to attempt to stop the process along the way, potentially slowing the pace of the sales until after New York courts finish hearing Trump's appeal. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024 America's boyfriend, 54, has a touch of gray in his beard now, only deepening his universal appeal. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024 Diaz lost that appeal, which renewed her argument that the DHS agent’s testimony violated a rule of federal evidence — 704(b) — that deals with mens rea, or criminal intent. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 Cannon granted Trump’s special master request, prompting an appeal from the Justice Department. Perry Stein, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 And that court would then have to agree to hear the appeal. Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2024 There’s a plethora of factors to credit—the immense star power of the film’s lead-producer hybrid, the subject matter's multi-generational appeal, and the world’s most iconic doll come to life. Jamila Stewart, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
Trump bond Former President Donald Trump is quickly approaching a deadline to secure a nearly half-billion-dollar bond to appeal his civil fraud case in New York. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024 Backcountry Against Dumps appealed the FAA’s decision and last August, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in a 29-page opinion remanded the decision back to the FAA and instructed the agency to hear the arguments the group made in its petition. Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2024 For one, Trump's lawyers have said he's been unable to secure a bond to appeal a judgement of more than $460 million in his civil fraud case. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2024 His situation was different from Wright’s in that McCloud was released from prison in 2018, but faced the possibility of being sent back after Johnson County prosecutors appealed a judge’s decision to modify his sentence. Luke Nozicka, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024 Despite coming up short, the Justice Department chose not to appeal the judge’s order allowing Rotta to be released from the Federal Detention Center. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2024 Texas appealed the ruling to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said the law would take effect in early March unless the Supreme Court intervened. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024 One selling point that appealed to Snell and Chapman alike: Melvin, who has managed each player in the past. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Texas immediately appealed the ruling, and a panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed it. Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'appeal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English apeel, appel, appele "accusation brought in court, challenge to trial by combat, legal application to a higher court," borrowed from Anglo-French appel, appell "call, summons, accusation of felony, legal application to a higher court," noun derivative of apeler, appeler "to call, summon, call before a court" — more at appeal entry 2

Verb

Middle English appelen, apelen "to call upon, accuse, make a charge against in court, challenge, apply to a higher court," borrowed from Anglo-French apeler, appeler "to call, summon, call before a court," borrowed from Latin appellāre "to speak to, address, apply to for support, refer to a higher authority, call upon, name, designate," from ap-, assimilated form of ad- ad- + -pellāre, first-conjugation verb formed from the base of pellere "to beat against, push, strike" — more at pulse entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of appeal was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near appeal

Cite this Entry

“Appeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appeal. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

appeal

1 of 2 noun
ap·​peal ə-ˈpē(ə)l How to pronounce appeal (audio)
1
: a legal proceeding by which a case is brought to a higher court for review
2
: an asking for something badly needed or wanted : plea
an appeal for help
3
: the power to cause enjoyment : attraction
movies had a great appeal for him

appeal

2 of 2 verb
1
: to make a legal appeal
2
: to call upon another for a decision
appealed to the umpire
3
: to ask for something badly needed or wanted
4
: to be pleasing or attractive
the idea appeals to her

Legal Definition

appeal

1 of 2 noun
ap·​peal ə-ˈpēl How to pronounce appeal (audio)
: a proceeding in which a case is brought before a higher court for review of a lower court's judgment for the purpose of convincing the higher court that the lower court's judgment was incorrect
also : a proceeding for the review of an agency decision at a higher level within the agency or in a court see also affirm compare certiorari, new trial, rehearing

Note: The scope of an appeal is limited. The higher court will review only matters that were objected to or argued in the lower court during the trial. No new evidence can be presented on appeal.

appealability noun
appealable adjective

appeal

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to take (a lower court's decision) before a higher court for review : undertake an appeal of (a case)

intransitive verb

: to take a lower court's decision to a higher court for review
Etymology

Noun

Old French apel, from apeler to call, accuse, appeal, from Latin appellare

More from Merriam-Webster on appeal

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