pleading: Meaning and Definition of

plead•ing

1. the act of a person who pleads.
1. the advocating of a cause in a court of law.
2. the art or science of setting forth or drawing pleas in legal causes.
3. a formal statement, usually written, setting forth the cause of action or defense of a case.
4. pleadings,the successive statements delivered alternately by plaintiff and defendant until the issue is joined.