English · Word Candidate

plea

/pliː/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: pleas · pleaing · pleaed

Sense 1

Meaning · English

An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.

Noun

Examples

Even if only one person answers my plea for someone to correspond with it will be a blessing.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

An excuse; an apology.

Noun

Examples

Necessity, the tyrant’s plea.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

To plead; to argue.

Verb

Examples

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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “plea” mean?

An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.

Is “plea” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.