Link Centre Dictionary

appeal

ap·peal

UK/əˈpiːl/ US/əˈpiːl/ common
noun (4) verb (5)

noun

1.

earnest or urgent request

  • “an entreaty to stop the fighting”
  • “an appeal for help”
  • “an appeal to the public to keep calm”
Synonyms
2.

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

  • “his smile was part of his appeal to her”
Synonyms
3.

(law) a legal proceeding in which the appellant resorts to a higher court for the purpose of obtaining a review of a lower court decision and a reversal of the lower court's judgment or the granting of a new trial

  • “their appeal was denied in the superior court”
4.

request for a sum of money

  • “an appeal to raise money for starving children”
Synonyms

verb

1.

take a court case to a higher court for review

  • “He was found guilty but appealed immediately”
2.

request earnestly (something from somebody); ask for aid or protection

  • “appeal to somebody for help”
  • “Invoke God in times of trouble”
Synonyms
3.

be attractive to

  • “The idea of a vacation appeals to me”
  • “The beautiful garden attracted many people”
Synonyms
Antonyms
4.

challenge (a decision)

  • “She appealed the verdict”
5.

cite as an authority; resort to

  • “He invoked the law that would save him”
  • “I appealed to the law of 1900”
  • “She invoked an ancient law”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English apel, appel (“formal accusation brought in court; a challenge to trial by combat; an appeal to a higher court or authority; plea (for mercy, protection, etc.); pealing (of bells)”) [and other forms], from Old French apel (“a call”) (modern French appel (“a call; an appeal”)), from apeler (“to call; to call out”), from Latin appellāre (“to address as, call by name; to drive, move to; to land or put ashore”), alternative form adpellāre, from ad- (prefix meaning ‘to; towards’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“at; to”)) + pellere (“to drive, impel, push; to hurl, propel; to banish, expel; to eject, thrust out”) + -āre, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (“to approach”), from *pel- (“to beat; to drive; to push”).

Phrases

  • appeal court
  • appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober
  • appeal to authority
  • appeal to emotion
  • appeal to motive
  • appeal to nature
  • appeal to the stone
  • appeals court
  • court of appeal
  • curb appeal

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.