pleading (to)

verb

Definition of pleading (to)next
present participle of plead (to)
as in begging
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner weary of charities that are always pleading to people of modest means to contribute even more than they already have

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleading (to)
  1. begging
  2. petitioning
Verb
  • For her part, Maya has been begging to go back and see Harris, by far her favorite medical experience.
    — Deepa Fernandes, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • These little light strips are just begging to be tinkered with.
    — Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of begging
Verb
  • Anthropic may appeal today’s ruling, either by asking for an en banc review with all of the appeals court judges or by petitioning the Supreme Court.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Student groups are petitioning the CES to maintain the school’s traditional hiring practices, where the teaching staff isn’t chosen based only on academic credentials, but also on lived experience.
    — Caterina Morbiato, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of petitioning
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pleadings
pleading (to)
pleads
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pleading (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleading%20%28to%29. 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