What does "plea" mean?
An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
Plea
/pliː/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
- Grammar: plea is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: act of asking, adjuration, alibi, allocution.
- Useful contrasts: conviction, denial, ignore.
- Usage evidence: Please don't do translations if you're crap at it. This is a plea from the English translation clients.
How to use "plea"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "plea" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "plea" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "plea" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "plea" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "plea" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "act of asking" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "plea", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
"Even if only one person answers my plea for someone to correspond with it will be a blessing."
- 2 an answer indicating why a suit should be dismissed wordnet
- 3 An excuse; an apology.
"Necessity, the tyrant’s plea."
- 4 (law) a defendant's answer by a factual matter (as distinguished from a demurrer) wordnet
- 5 That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a humble request for help from someone in authority wordnet
- 7 That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause.
- 8 An allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer.
- 9 The defendant’s answer to the plaintiff’s declaration and demand.
- 10 A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas.
"they or any three of them shall be a Court and have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed."
Verb
- 1 To plead; to argue. England, Scotland, regional
"With my riches, my unhappiness was increased tenfold; and here, with another great acquisition of property, for which I had pleaed, and which I had gained in a dream, my miseries and difficulties were increasing."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Please don't do translations if you're crap at it. This is a plea from the English translation clients."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "plea"?
Common synonyms include: act of asking, adjuration, alibi, allocution, answer, apology.
How do you use "plea" in a sentence?
Please don't do translations if you're crap at it. This is a plea from the English translation clients.
How do you pronounce "plea"?
Pronounced /pliː/.
Etymology
From Middle English ple, from Old French plait, plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past participle of placere (“to please”). Cognate with Spanish pleito (“lawsuit, suit”). Doublet of placit. See also please, pleasure.