Definition of "pleading" []

• A plea; an entreaty. (noun)
• Law Advocacy of causes in court. (noun)
• Law A formal statement, generally written, propounding the cause of action or the defense in a case. (noun)
• Law The consecutive statements, allegations, and counterallegations made by plaintiff and defendant, or prosecutor and accused, in a legal proceeding. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Like dancers raising their arms in pleading ritualism, the scarlet tide splashed upward and drew back as gravity displayed evidence of past groping made in vain."
• "My favorite moment was when she was pleading from the other room for Serena to help with her hair."
• "After a lot of pleading from the United States, they did reduce his whipping from six strokes with the bamboo stick from six to four."