Meanings
present singular third person pleads · participle present pleading · participle past pleaded · past pleaded · Canada Scotland US participle past pled · Canada Scotland US past pled
- ambitransitivecopulativeTo present (an argument or a plea), especially in a legal case.
The defendant has decided to plead not guilty.
3 more examples
O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 16:21At the High Court in Aberdeen in September, NR pleaded guilty to a series of failings, including failing to tell the driver that it was unsafe to drive the train at the 75mph line speed.
2023 October 18, “Network News: Carmont: NR pays nearly £1m in out-of-court settlements”, in RAIL, number 994, page 15In his state case, Mangione pleaded not guilty to eight felony charges, including second-degree murder and several counts related to criminal possession of a weapon.
2026 August 13, Jonathan Dienst, Adam Reiss, Erica Byfield, Matt Lavietes, Chloe Atkins, “Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in New York federal case”, in NBC News, archived from the original on 13 Aug 2026 - transitiveTo offer by way of excuse.
Not wishing to attend the banquet, I pleaded illness.
2 more examples
It is no defence to plead that you were only obeying orders.
From there Prince Rupert, the Royalist general and nephew of Charles I, demanded over £2,000 from the mayor of Leicester to pay the king's forces who were camped around Queniborough. The mayor, however, pleaded poverty and sent only £500.
1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 329, about Queniborough - transitiveTo discuss by arguments.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Medieval Latinplacitum“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc.", in Classical Latin, "an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”
- Old Frenchplaider“to plead, offer a plea”
- Middle Englishpleden
- Englishplead
From Middle English pleden, plaiden, from Old French plaider (“to plead, offer a plea”), from plait, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc.", in Classical Latin, "an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past participle of placeō (“to please”). Cognate with Spanish pleitear (“to litigate, take to court”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἰκετεύω, προφασίζομαι
- ἰκετεύω (iketeúō)to beg
- προφασίζομαι (prophasízomai)to offer by way of excuse
Bulgarian пледирам, моля
- пледирам (plediram)to present an argument
- моля (molja)to beg
- умолявам (umoljavam)to beg
Chinese Mandarin 辩护, 央求
- 辩护 (biànhù)to present an argument
- 央求 (yāngqiú)to beg
Czech přednášet (před soudem), vést obhajobu
- přednášet (před soudem)to present an argument
- vést obhajobuto present an argument
- prohlásitto present an argument
- učinit prohlášeníto present an argument
- plédovatto beg
- žádatto beg
- prositto beg
- naléhatto beg
Dutch pleiten, bepleiten
- pleitento present an argument
- bepleitento present an argument
Esperanto pledi
- pledito present an argument
Finnish vedota, esittää
- vedotato present an argument
- esittääto present an argument
- myöntää syyllisyytensäto present an argument
- kiistää syyllisyytensäto present an argument
- vedotato beg
- anellato beg
- anoato beg
- rukoillato beg
- väittääto offer by way of excuse
- selittääto offer by way of excuse
French plaider
- plaiderto present an argument
German plädieren, bekennen
- plädierento present an argument
- bekennento present an argument
- eintretento present an argument
- (dringend) bittento beg
- anflehento beg
- beschwörento beg
Irish pléadáil, tagair
- pléadáilto present an argument
- tagairto beg
Japanese 嘆願する
- 嘆願する (tangan suru)to present an argument
Māori unene, whakakuene
- uneneto beg
- whakakueneto beg
Polish błagać
- błagaćto beg
Portuguese pleitear, implorar
- pleitearto present an argument
- implorarto beg
- suplicarto beg
- alegarto offer by way of excuse
Romanian pleda, implora
- pledato present an argument
- implorato beg
Russian защища́ть, представля́ть интере́сы
- защища́ть (zaščiščátʹ)to present an argument
- представля́ть интере́сы (predstavljátʹ interésy)to present an argument
- выступа́ть с заявле́ниемto present an argument
Scottish Gaelic tagair
- tagairto present an argument
Spanish pleitear, declararse
- pleitearto present an argument
- declararseto present an argument
- rogarto beg
- suplicarto beg
Tagalog makiusap
- makiusapto beg
Turkish açıklamak, ileri sürmek
- açıklamakto present an argument
- ileri sürmekto present an argument
- yalvarmakto beg
Vietnamese bào chữa, biện hộ
- bào chữato present an argument
- biện hộto present an argument
- cãito present an argument
- cầu xinto beg
- nài xinto beg
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with plead
Anagrams
Cite this entry
plead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plead
“plead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plead. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plead,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plead.
Source: plead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.