plead

verb

ˈplēd How to pronounce plead (audio)
Definition of pleadnext
as in to argue
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

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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 plead McCluskie and lobbyist Greg Campbell also pleaded guilty to their roles in the plot, and are awaiting sentencing. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Smith later pled guilty for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge that carried a maximum prison sentence of five years. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026 After pleading guilty, a 54-year-old North Carolina man, Michael Smith, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for using artificial intelligence to generate songs for a scheme that stole millions from music streaming platforms. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 7 Oct. 2026 Diori Barnard, of Miami, also pleaded guilty to charges including murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire, his attorney, Danise Ponton, confirmed. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for plead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plead
  1. argue
  2. contend
  3. reason
  4. convince
  5. insist
  6. assert
Verb
  • Marc Elias has argued dozens of cases around mail-in balloting and election access across the country and in front of the Supreme Court over the last decade.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • His complaint argues that the plural title invites audiences to suspect a second culprit besides Mun.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of argue
Verb
  • Through the season’s first two weeks, any thoughts of the Falcons contending for a playoff spot appeared delusional and all conversations appeared moot.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Mancuso filed a $45 million breach-of-contract suit, contending that he’d been fired, and later settled for as much as $20 million.
    — Richard Natale, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of contend
Verb
  • The model had to reason about a structured but unfamiliar environment using the information available through the game’s underlying protocol.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • This makes generalization and AGI key concepts when reasoning about the speed of progress.
    — Geoffrey Irving, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of reason
Verb
  • Compelling information, but not strong enough to convince a politician.
    — Kent Sepkowitz, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Did Porsha convince Kyle to finally just be a lesbian already?
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of convince
Verb
  • The president and his allies have insisted that existing liability laws offer enough protections.
    — Jeff Masonand Michael Shepard Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Ribera insists that this misunderstands the European perspective.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of insist
Verb
  • Strong will have to assert herself vocally, as well as with the ball.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Emirati prosecutors opened an investigation after a co-pilot stabbed his captain mid-flight, asserting jurisdiction over a crime that also concerns Saudi Arabia and Israel.
    — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of assert

Phrases Containing plead

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pleaching
plead
pleaded
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Cite this Entry

“Plead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plead. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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