pleading

[ plee-ding ]

noun

1. the act of a person who pleads.
2. Law.
   1. the advocating of a cause in a court of law.
   2. the art or science of setting forth or drawing pleas in legal causes.
   3. a formal statement, usually written, setting forth the cause of action or defense of a case.
   4. pleadings, the successive statements delivered alternately by plaintiff and defendant until the issue is joined.

pleading

/ ˈpliːdɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of presenting a case in court, as by a lawyer on behalf of his client
2. the art or science of preparing the formal written statements of the parties to a legal action See also pleadings

Other Words From

• pleading·ly adverb
• pleading·ness noun
• non·pleading adjective
• non·pleading·ly adverb
• un·pleading adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pleading¹

1250–1300; Middle English pledynge (gerund). See plead, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

A 23-year-old man accused of an online sextortion scheme in the San Fernando Valley awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to distributing explicit images of minors, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California confirmed Tuesday.

From Los Angeles Times

In the hour I spent writing this article, I received yet another email from the Harris campaign, pleading for 50 more dollars.

From Slate

“The ambulance went there, the ambulance was attacked and the two paramedics were killed,” Sidoti said, and the fact that happened after “many hours of a child on the phone pleading to be rescued made it even more outrageous. Speaking personally, rather than officially, it’s what happens to kids that really gets me.”

From Salon

He initially lied to FBI agents who were investigating City Hall corruption, eventually pleading guilty in 2020 to a single count of conspiring to violate federal anti-racketeering law.

From Los Angeles Times

The former party press officer has now been sentenced to 18 months after pleading guilty to a series of sex offences.

From BBC