pleading

[ plee-ding ]
See synonyms for pleading on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of a person who pleads.

  2. Law.

    • the advocating of a cause in a court of law.

    • the art or science of setting forth or drawing pleas in legal causes.

    • a formal statement, usually written, setting forth the cause of action or defense of a case.

    • pleadings, the successive statements delivered alternately by plaintiff and defendant until the issue is joined.

Origin of pleading

1
1250–1300; Middle English pledynge (gerund). See plead, -ing1

Other words from pleading

  • plead·ing·ly, adverb
  • plead·ing·ness, noun
  • non·plead·ing, adjective
  • non·plead·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·plead·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for pleading

pleading

/ (ˈpliːdɪŋ) /


nounlaw
  1. the act of presenting a case in court, as by a lawyer on behalf of his client

  2. the art or science of preparing the formal written statements of the parties to a legal action: See also pleadings

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012