pleads

verb

present tense third-person singular of plead
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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 pleads Even as Anthropic ostensibly pleads for guardrails because of AI’s peril, national security anxieties will override any caution – becauseof that same potential power. — Michael Serazio, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Depp’s character pleads for help to save her husband from his curse. — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 26 Sep. 2026 Ryan plays Carla Russo, a veteran nurse at Yale Fertility Center who pleads guilty to diverting vast amounts of fentanyl and diluting it with saline, forcing many patients to endure egg-retrieval surgery without anesthesia. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026 Woman pleads not guilty to jury intimidation In a nearby courtroom, the impetus for the dramatic jury questions appeared in the same courthouse as the jury began its fifth day of deliberations. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 Prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to conspiracy to endanger national security. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Social media erupts over cancellation, pleads to Mamdani Since the cancellation was announced, social media was inundated with posts in support of the show, with some even reaching out to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to intervene and save it. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 But what Angel City really needs now are different results, because another losing record and another season without a playoff trip won’t be seen as a sign of progress no matter how much Parsons pleads for patience. — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Rather than attacking the other woman, Parton pleads with her and openly acknowledges her beauty. — Holly Alvarado, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleads
  1. argues
  2. contends
  3. reasons
  4. insists
  5. asserts
Verb
  • Nobody seriously argues that the gap proves our police, prosecutors, judges, and juries are biased against men.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The group is chaired by Amy Kremer, a longtime Tea Party activist who argues Republicans are missing an opportunity to lead on AI policy that doesn’t cater to big companies.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of argues
Verb
  • Some of the roughly 18 locations were chosen, Hale contends, because the city failed to respond to numerous 311 calls for improvement.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But Uthmeier contends an overly broad reading of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause has been twisted into a tool to suppress Christians and other believers.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of contends
Verb
  • The consultant reasons by filling a notebook with calculations, then hands you a one-sentence answer, and keeps the notebook.
    — Adam Fish, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • How the Fed reasons its way to agreements is as important as the agreements.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 18 June 2026
Definition of reasons
Verb
  • The biggest problem in its quarterly results Tuesday was the cardiovascular unit within its MedTech segment, though management insists the problems are fixable.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • No, the party insists that Republicans are in charge, making voters angry with their handling of the economy and the Middle East, so the culture-war politicking that worked for a decade won’t be as potent in November.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of insists
Verb
  • This asserts, to me, that Pleasure is , innately, an entity of Earth, of The Density , of The Body.
    — Gabi Abrão, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But, Punsalan asserts that the business is focused on other, more important priorities over the cafeteria or campus perks such as gym access offered in other tech companies.
    — Tamlin Magee, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of asserts

Browse Nearby Words

pleading (to)
pleads
pleads (for)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pleads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleads. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All