pleaded

verb

variants or pled also plead
past tense of plead
as in argued
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 pleaded In January of this year, Molloy pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court to fraud by false representation of the Fraud Act 2006. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 Both have pleaded not guilty in a criminal case first brought six years ago against them and numerous alleged co-conspirators. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026 During a court appearance on Tuesday, the DA's Office said that Mora pleaded not guilty to all charges. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Fan, 38, pleaded no contest in April to conspiring to commit pimping. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026 Roberts pleaded guilty on June 10, 2026, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 8 Oct. 2026 Reynolds later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree assault and a firearms violation. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Brown pleaded guilty on May 23, 2024, to one count of racketeering conspiracy. — Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026 Ivanna Ortiz appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to all 14 counts in the new indictment, which was made public one day after she was found competent to stand trial. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleaded
  1. argued
  2. reasoned
  3. contended
  4. insisted
Verb
  • But Russell argued that state lawsuits can address damage in Colorado, regardless of where the fossil fuels are produced.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Ricketts has argued that he’s best suited to keep delivering for Nebraska and that his opponent is secretly a Democrat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of argued
Verb
  • At Will Does Not Answer Every Question California’s at-will rule gives employers broad room to make personnel decisions, including decisions an employee may consider abrupt or poorly reasoned.
    — William Jones, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This, the perfectly decent people of Kettleborough reasoned, was a natural and godly rebuke for Susan and Cuthbert’s sin.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of reasoned
Verb
  • Some Democrats contended that the Justice Department greenlit the deal for political reasons, while warning that the Ellisons would steer CNN news coverage in a direction friendlier for the president.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Blacknell contended that four different medical professionals treated Linton after the crash and none of them concluded the wreck was tied to a bipolar episode.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of contended
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
  • Trump has repeatedly insisted that the damage to the Reflecting Pool resulted from intentional vandalism, claiming that vandals cut a gash hundreds of feet long in the pool’s protective lining.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of insisted

Browse Nearby Words

plead
pleaded
pleaded (for)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pleaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleaded. Accessed 9 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

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

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

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

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
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All