# appeal

Pronunciation: say "uh-PEEL" US /əˈpil/, UK /əˈpiːl/

## Verb

1. To be attractive or interesting to someone.
   - Simple: To seem nice or interesting to someone, so that they like it.
   - _Simple, quiet vacations appeal to people who work stressful jobs._
   - _The new design appealed to younger buyers right away._
4. To formally ask a higher court to review and overturn a decision of a lower court (in British use often 'appeal against' the decision).
   - Simple: To ask a higher court to change a decision that a lower court made.
   - _The defense will appeal the conviction next month._
   - _His lawyers appealed the sentence on procedural grounds._
5. To call on someone for a favor, help, or support.
   - Simple: To ask someone for help, support, or a favor.
   - _Aid groups appeal to donors whenever a major disaster strikes._
   - _The mayor appealed to residents to conserve water during the drought._
7. To make a formal request that an authority, such as an organization or official, change or overturn a decision, for example a fine, a ban, or a refusal.
   - Simple: To officially ask the people in charge to change or cancel a decision, such as a fine or a ban.
   - _Applicants who are denied a permit can appeal to the city's zoning board within 30 days._
   - _Her family appealed the insurance company's refusal to cover the surgery._
10. To call upon a person or an authority to confirm a statement, settle a disputed question, or defend one's rights; to entreat or invoke.
   - Simple: To turn to a person, those in charge, or a trusted source to back up a claim or settle a question.
   - _The author appealed to the original records to support her claim._
   - _When critics doubt him, he will appeal to the founding documents._
13. To resort to physical force or action as a means of settling a matter.
   - Simple: To turn to force or physical action instead of words to settle a dispute.
   - _When negotiations collapsed, the rebels finally appealed to arms._
   - _Rather than appeal to arms, the two cities agreed to let a neutral judge settle the border._
14. In cricket, for the fielding side to ask the umpire to rule on whether a batter is out, usually by calling "Howzat?".
   - Simple: In cricket, to call out to the umpire and ask whether the batter is out.
   - _The whole side appealed in unison as the ball clipped the pad._
   - _Bowlers appeal whenever they believe they have trapped the batter._

## Noun

2. The power of something or someone to attract, interest, or please people.
   - Simple: The quality that makes something or someone attractive or interesting to people.
   - _The brand built its appeal around comfort and low prices._
   - _Much of the city's appeal lies in its quiet old streets._
3. A request to a higher court to review and overturn a lower court's decision, or the case in which that request is heard.
   - Simple: When someone asks a higher court to change a decision, or the court case about it.
   - _The company launched an appeal after losing the original trial._
   - _An appeal was filed on the grounds that key evidence had been ignored._
6. A call to a person or an authority for a decision, help, or proof; an earnest entreaty.
   - Simple: A serious request to a person or to those in charge, asking for help, a decision, or proof.
   - _The charity's appeal raised thousands within a single weekend._
   - _His final appeal to the board went unanswered._
8. A formal request to an organization or authority other than a court to review and change or overturn a decision.
   - Simple: An official request asking an organization or authority, not a court, to change or cancel a decision.
   - _The league rejected the club's appeal and upheld the four-game suspension._
   - _The scholarship committee received dozens of appeals from students whose aid had been cut._
9. The use of a principle, value, or quality as a means of persuasion.
   - Simple: The use of a principle, value, feeling, or quality to try to persuade people.
   - _The speech leaned on an appeal to shared community values._
   - _Her closing line was a direct appeal to the jurors' sense of justice._
11. A person's legal right to apply to a higher court for review of a decision.
   - Simple: The legal right a person has to ask a higher court to review a decision.
   - _The statute guarantees an appeal to anyone convicted of a serious crime._
   - _Defendants convicted at trial have an appeal as of right to a higher court._
12. A resort to physical means, such as force, as a way of resolving a matter; a recourse.
   - Simple: The act of turning to force or some physical action as a way to settle things.
   - _The treaty failed, and both sides turned to a final appeal to arms._
   - _Once negotiations collapsed, the two kingdoms settled their quarrel by an appeal to arms._
15. In cricket, the fielding side's act of asking the umpire to rule on whether a batter is out.
   - Simple: In cricket, a call to the umpire asking whether the batter is out.
   - _A confident appeal from the wicketkeeper persuaded the umpire to give the batter out._
   - _The fielders went up in a unanimous appeal for leg before wicket._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In old law, a formal accusation of a serious crime, especially treason, brought by one private person against another.
- (verb) In old law, to formally accuse someone of a serious crime, especially treason, as a private person.
- (noun) Under common law, a charge of felony that one accomplice, called the approver, brought against another who took part in the crime.
- (verb) Of a felon's accomplice: to make an accusation at common law against the felon.
- (noun) A challenge calling on someone to defend their honor by dueling or prove their innocence through trial by combat.
- (verb) To call on someone to fight, either in a duel to uphold their honor or in a trial by combat to establish their innocence.

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3, 6, 8–9, 11–12, 15** — The noun comes from Middle English apel, appel, borrowed from Old French apel ('a call'), from apeler ('to call, call out'). This traces back to Latin appellāre ('to address, call by name'), formed from ad- ('to, towards') plus pellere ('to drive, push').
**Meanings 1, 4–5, 7, 10, 13–14** — The verb comes from Middle English apelen, appelen ('to accuse, make a formal charge, apply to a higher court'), from Old French apeler ('to call, call out'), sharing the same roots as the noun.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/appeal (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).