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Definition of appeal verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

appeal

verb
 
/əˈpiːl/
 
/əˈpiːl/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they appeal
 
/əˈpiːl/
 
/əˈpiːl/
he / she / it appeals
 
/əˈpiːlz/
 
/əˈpiːlz/
past simple appealed
 
/əˈpiːld/
 
/əˈpiːld/
past participle appealed
 
/əˈpiːld/
 
/əˈpiːld/
-ing form appealing
 
/əˈpiːlɪŋ/
 
/əˈpiːlɪŋ/
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  1. [intransitive] to make a deeply felt request, especially for something that is needed immediately
    • We are appealing (= asking for money) on behalf of all the victims of this terrible disaster.
    • appeal for something Community leaders appealed for calm (= urged people to remain calm).
    • appeal to somebody Appeal directly to the public, answer their questions.
    • appeal to somebody for something The government appealed to the British people for help.
    • appeal for somebody to do something Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
    • appeal to somebody to do something Organizers appealed to the crowd not to panic.
    Extra Examples
    • Police appealed to the public for information about the crime.
    • He went over the heads of union officials, appealing directly to the workforce.
    Topics Crime and punishmentb2, Social issuesb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • directly
    preposition
    • for
    • to
    See full entry
  2. [intransitive] to attract or interest somebody
    • The prospect of a long wait in the rain did not appeal.
    • appeal to somebody The design has to appeal to all ages and social groups.
    • His movies appeal to a broad audience.
    • The ad is designed to appeal to female voters.
    Extra Examples
    • The idea of retiring early really appeals to me.
    • The prospect of teaching such bright children appealed enormously.
    • These characters will appeal directly to children's imaginations.
    • The idea appealed enormously.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • really
    • strongly
    • directly
    preposition
    • to
    See full entry
  3. [intransitive] to make a formal request to a court or to somebody in authority for a judgment or a decision to be changed
    • He said he would appeal after being found guilty on four counts of murder.
    • appeal against something The company is appealing against the ruling.
    • appeal to somebody/something against something He is seeking leave to appeal to the High Court against the decision.
    • appeal to somebody/something Permission to appeal to the House of Lords was refused.
    In North American English, the form appeal (something) (to somebody/something) is usually used, without a preposition The company has ten days to appeal the decision to the tribunal.
    Extra Examples
    • He has decided to appeal to the European Court.
    • She appealed unsuccessfully against her conviction for murder.
    Topics Preferences and decisionsb2, Law and justiceb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • successfully
    • unsuccessfully
    • directly
    preposition
    • against
    • to
    phrases
    • give somebody leave to appeal
    • grant somebody leave to appeal
    See full entry
  4. [intransitive] appeal (to something) to try to persuade somebody to do something by suggesting that it is a fair, reasonable or honest thing to do
    • They needed to appeal to his sense of justice.
    Topics Discussion and agreementc1
  5. Word OriginMiddle English (in legal contexts): from Old French apel (noun), apeler (verb), from Latin appellare ‘to address’, based on ad- ‘to’ + pellere ‘to drive’.
See appeal in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee appeal in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
sufficiently
adverb
 
 
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