as in argues
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?
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Recent Examples of pleads
Former court clerk pleads guilty Hill pleaded guilty to perjury, obstructing justice and misconduct in office and was sentenced to three years' probation and 100 hours of community service.
—
Marlene Lenthang, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Hill, the former court clerk, pleads guilty to obstruction of justice and perjury, for providing access to graphic photographs from Murdaugh's case and lying about it.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 13 May 2026
York pleads his case to the earl of Salisbury and Salisbury’s son, the earl of Warwick.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Other suspect pleads not guilty Rodriguez, 18, was arraigned on the same indictment and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
—Christina Fan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go with him.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Maduro pleads not guilty to US narco-terrorism charges.
—Melos Ambaye, Bloomberg, 5 Jan. 2026
But in an earlier scene, Nixon pleads with his wife not to divorce him, reminding her of their idyllic courtship days; Williams’ music here is a lyrical love theme for solo trumpet and strings — pure bittersweet Americana.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 20 Dec. 2025
Marlene Lenthang, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Hill, the former court clerk, pleads guilty to obstruction of justice and perjury, for providing access to graphic photographs from Murdaugh's case and lying about it.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 13 May 2026
York pleads his case to the earl of Salisbury and Salisbury’s son, the earl of Warwick.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Other suspect pleads not guilty Rodriguez, 18, was arraigned on the same indictment and pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
—Christina Fan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go with him.
—Pamela Avila, USA Today, 17 Feb. 2026
Bree pleads with her not to go.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 17 Feb. 2026
Maduro pleads not guilty to US narco-terrorism charges.
—Melos Ambaye, Bloomberg, 5 Jan. 2026
But in an earlier scene, Nixon pleads with his wife not to divorce him, reminding her of their idyllic courtship days; Williams’ music here is a lyrical love theme for solo trumpet and strings — pure bittersweet Americana.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 20 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleads
Verb
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Bonta argues Bianco violated state law and the attorney general’s authority by removing ballots from official custody without identifying a specific crime or suspect.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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That creative legacy, Santiago argues, is now a competitive advantage.—
Mathew Scott,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The firm contends that slow-moving, lightweight drones offer superior safety, efficiency, and practicality for last-mile deliveries.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
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The Next Level Apparel partner also contends that ongoing testing programs are more effective at catching substitution risks as supply chains shift over time, particularly compared with periodic audits or one-time reviews.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The system reasons underneath, processing infinitely complex 3D scenarios, handling trade clashes, regulations and tradeoffs - learning from user feedback over time to eliminate the need for users to supervise its intelligence.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet convenience has not come at the price of comfort, insists designer Mikael Axelsson, who set out to better the coziness of conventional foam fillings.—
Jack Bantock,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
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Hao insists philanthropy alone won’t solve academic medicine’s financial and structural challenges.—
Lisa Chambers,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The report released Thursday asserts that reimbursements to the city for personal charges were negligible.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
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Such mishaps arise when an author asserts a statement of fact and asks AI for a citation, Topaz explained.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pleads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleads. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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