plead

(plēd)

v. plead·ed or pled (plĕd), or plead, plead·ing, pleads

v.intr.

1. To appeal earnestly; beg: plead for more time.

2. To offer reasons for or against something; argue earnestly: plead against a bill.

3. To provide an argument or appeal: Your youth pleads for you in this instance.

4. Law To respond to a criminal charge: plead guilty.

v.tr.

1. To assert as defense, vindication, or excuse; claim as a plea: plead illness as the reason for his absence.

2. Law

a. To specify (a cause of action or defense): plead a First Amendment claim.

b. To set forth in a pleading: plead that plaintiff suffered damages as a result of the breach of contract.

[Middle English pleden, plaiden, from Old French plaidier, from Medieval Latin placitāre, to appeal to the law, from Late Latin placitum, decree, opinion; see plea.]

plead′a·ble adj.

plead′er n.

plead′ing·ly adv.

Usage Note: In strict legal usage, one is said to plead guilty or plead not guilty but not to plead innocent. In nonlegal contexts, however, plead innocent is well established. · The Usage Panel prefers the past tense pleaded over pled outside of legal contexts. In our 2008 survey, the entire Panel found pleaded acceptable in He pleaded with me to give him the part, in contrast to 60 percent who accepted the same sentence using pled, and only 38 who found pled completely acceptable in this use.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

plead

(pliːd)

vb, pleads, pleading, pleaded, plead (plɛd) or esp US and Scot pled (plɛd)

1. (when: intr, often foll by with) to appeal earnestly or humbly (to)

2. (tr; may take a clause as object) to give as an excuse; offer in justification or extenuation: to plead ignorance; he pleaded that he was insane.

3. (often foll by: for) to provide an argument or appeal (for): her beauty pleads for her.

4. (Law) law to declare oneself to be (guilty or not guilty) in answer to the charge

5. (Law) law to advocate (a case) in a court of law

6. (Law) (intr) law

a. to file pleadings

b. to address a court as an advocate

[C13: from Old French plaidier, from Medieval Latin placitāre to have a lawsuit, from Latin placēre to please; see plea]

ˈpleadable adj

ˈpleader n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

plead

(plid)

v. plead•ed pled, plead•ing. v.i.

1. to appeal or entreat earnestly; beg: to plead for time.

2. to use arguments or persuasions.

3. to afford an argument or appeal: His youth pleads for him.

a. to make any allegation or plea in an action at law.

b. (of a defendant) to answer a charge.

c. to address a court as an advocate.

d. to prosecute a suit or action at law.

v.t.

5. to allege or urge in defense, justification, or excuse: to plead ignorance.

a. to argue (a cause) before a court.

b. to allege formally in a court action.

c. to allege or cite as a defense.

[1200–50; Middle English plaiden < Old French plaid(i)er to go to law, plead < early Medieval Latin placitāre to litigate, derivative of Latin placitum opinion. See plea]

plead′a•ble, adj.

plead′er, n.

plead

Past participle: plead
Gerund: pleading

Imperative
plead
plead

Present
I plead
you plead
he/she/it pleads
we plead
you plead
they plead

Preterite
I pleaded
you pleaded
he/she/it pleaded
we pleaded
you pleaded
they pleaded

Present Continuous
I am pleading
you are pleading
he/she/it is pleading
we are pleading
you are pleading
they are pleading

Present Perfect
I have plead
you have plead
he/she/it has plead
we have plead
you have plead
they have plead

Past Continuous
I was pleading
you were pleading
he/she/it was pleading
we were pleading
you were pleading
they were pleading

Past Perfect
I had plead
you had plead
he/she/it had plead
we had plead
you had plead
they had plead

Future
I will plead
you will plead
he/she/it will plead
we will plead
you will plead
they will plead

Future Perfect
I will have plead
you will have plead
he/she/it will have plead
we will have plead
you will have plead
they will have plead

Future Continuous
I will be pleading
you will be pleading
he/she/it will be pleading
we will be pleading
you will be pleading
they will be pleading

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been pleading
you have been pleading
he/she/it has been pleading
we have been pleading
you have been pleading
they have been pleading

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been pleading
you will have been pleading
he/she/it will have been pleading
we will have been pleading
you will have been pleading
they will have been pleading

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been pleading
you had been pleading
he/she/it had been pleading
we had been pleading
you had been pleading
they had been pleading

Conditional
I would plead
you would plead
he/she/it would plead
we would plead
you would plead
they would plead

Past Conditional
I would have plead
you would have plead
he/she/it would have plead
we would have plead
you would have plead
they would have plead

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Verb	1.	plead - appeal or request earnestly; "I pleaded with him to stop" appeal, invoke - request earnestly (something from somebody); ask for aid or protection; "appeal to somebody for help"; "Invoke God in times of trouble" beg, implore, pray - call upon in supplication; entreat; "I beg you to stop!" adjure, beseech, entreat, conjure, bid, press - ask for or request earnestly; "The prophet bid all people to become good persons"
	2.	plead - offer as an excuse or plea; "She was pleading insanity" apologise, rationalize, apologize, rationalise, justify, excuse - defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning; "rationalize the child's seemingly crazy behavior"; "he rationalized his lack of success"
	3.	plead - enter a plea, as in courts of law; "She pleaded not guilty" law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" declare - state emphatically and authoritatively; "He declared that he needed more money to carry out the task he was charged with"
	4.	plead - make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" allege, aver, say - report or maintain; "He alleged that he was the victim of a crime"; "He said it was too late to intervene in the war"; "The registrar says that I owe the school money" demur - enter a demurrer

plead

verb

1. appeal, ask, request, beg, petition, crave, solicit, implore, beseech, entreat, importune, supplicate He was kneeling on the floor pleading for mercy.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

plead

verb

To make an earnest or urgent request:

Translations

يَترافَع أمام القَضاءيُدافِع عن قَضِيَّة المُتَّهَميَلْتَمِس الرَّحْمَه، يَتَوَسَّل

hájit senaléhatpřednést před soudempřiznat sezastupovat

bønfaldeerklære sigføre en sag

képviselvallja magát

flytja mállÿsa sig sekan/saklausansárbæna

atsakyti į kaltinimąneprisipažinti

aizstāvētatzīt savu vainuatzītiesļoti lūgtneatzīt savu vainu

hájiť sa

priznati krivdo

plead

[pliːd] (pleaded (pled)) (esp US) (pt) (pp)

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

plead

pret, ptp <pleaded or (Scot, US) pled>

(as excuse) ignorance, insanity → sich berufen auf (+acc)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

plead

[pliːd] (pleaded, (esp Am) pled (pt, pp))

1. vt

a. to plead sb's case (Law)
to plead sb's cause (fig) → perorare la causa di qn

b. (as excuse, ignorance) → addurre come (or a) pretesto
to plead insanity (Law) → invocare l'infermità mentale

plead

(pliːd) – past tense, past participles ˈpleaded , (American also) pled – verb

1. (of a prisoner) to answer a charge, saying whether one is guilty or not. `How does the prisoner plead?' `He pleads guilty.'

2. to present a case in court. My lawyer will plead my case; My lawyer will plead for me.

3. (often with with) to make an urgent request. He pleaded with me not to go; He pleaded to be allowed to go.