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implore

/ɪmˈplɔər/

/ɪmˈplɔ/

Other forms: implored; imploring; implores

You might ask your friend for a loan if you're short a few bucks, but if the bank is about to foreclose on your house you'll implore your friend for the money, desperately begging for the cash so you can keep your house.

The word implore is often used to describe an urgent request made out of desperation. A man on death row might implore the governor to grant him a last-minute pardon. In the old days, you might have heard the word spoken by someone with lousy aim at a duel — "I implore you not to shoot me, my good man!" Today, this first-person use of the word sounds old-fashioned, although you might still hear it in a period drama.

Definitions of implore
  1. verb
    call upon in supplication; entreat
    synonyms: beg, pray
    see moresee less
    types:
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    crave
    plead or ask for earnestly
    supplicate
    ask humbly (for something)
    importune, insist
    beg persistently and urgently
    besiege
    harass, as with questions or requests
    type of:
    plead
    appeal or request earnestly
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘implore'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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