pleaded

verb

variants or pled also plead
past tense of plead
as in argued
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?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pleaded Four suspects pleaded guilty, including mastermind David Voss, and Benji admitted guilt and had his case administered through a First Nations restorative justice program, while charges against two were dropped, CityNews notes. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Laken Snelling had initially pleaded not guilty after a grand jury indicted her on several charges, including first-degree manslaughter, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and concealing the birth of an infant. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 21 Aug. 2026 Brian Hickerson dated Panettiere on and off since 2018; he was arrested several times in the subsequent years for domestic abuse and, at one point, pleaded no contest to two felony charges related to an assault against Panettiere. — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026 Following an eight-count criminal indictment in July 2020 that covered multiple violent incidents between May 2019 and January 2020, Hickerson pleaded no contest in April 2021 to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 Bagwell pleaded no contest to robbery and in March was sentenced to three years in state prison, records show. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026 The shooter who gunned down a man in Fort Worth’s West 7th entertainment district in 2024 amid an argument about a person whom the assailant was dating has pleaded guilty to murder. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Aug. 2026 Marcus Pittman specifically pleaded guilty to causing death through the use of a firearm. — Niya Doyle, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 In 2021, Hickerson pleaded no contest to felony counts related to injuring a spouse/cohabitant/coparent, and spent time in jail over the matter. — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleaded
  1. argued
  2. reasoned
  3. contended
  4. insisted
Verb
  • But O’Donnell argued that decades-long goal was actually hurt at first by having fewer workers.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In her opening statement, Goldberg argued that prosecutors had no evidence to support their theory that Banks had offered or paid a bounty for Quando Rondo’s killing.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of argued
Verb
  • Instead, Watts reasoned McCollough must not have had enough water that day.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
  • At the time, 1587 Sneakers reasoned that the football stars often take part in national advertising campaigns, making New York a fitting place to file.
    — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of reasoned
Verb
  • Espinosa has contended that the ethics commission, not the city, is the proper venue for the investigation.
    — Sara-James Ranta, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In a wide-ranging exclusive interview aired Tuesday, Dudum contended the allegations stemmed from a misunderstanding of how the company is altering healthcare.
    — Jacqueline Corba, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of contended
Verb
  • The company has insisted that the WBD deal is pro-competitive, and has asserted that the deal’s opponents are driven by political concerns, including the prospect of CNN changing hands.
    — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
  • This caused a strained relationship with the company after city officials insisted the extra cost should be covered by PCL.
    — Katie Langford, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of insisted

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plead
pleaded
pleaded (for)
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Cite this Entry

“Pleaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleaded. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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