appeal
appeal — noun
1. the feature in a person, product, place, or idea that draws people in and makes
the feature in a person, product, place, or idea that draws people in and makes them like it, want it, or find it interesting.
Night markets have a special appeal for tourists who want cheap, tasty street food.
have appeal for + group
The brand lost much of its appeal after the factory scandal made the news.
lose appeal
Part of the novel's appeal lies in its quiet, ordinary characters and slow pace.
the appeal of X lies in + noun phrase
Reggae music holds a wide appeal across generations and continents.
wide / mass appeal
For Mei-ling, the city's main appeal was its quiet riverside cycling paths.
the main / chief appeal
- wide appeal
- mass appeal
- lasting appeal
- popular appeal
- lose its appeal
- sex appeal
- attraction
very close in meaning; slightly more concrete
- charm
warmer and more personal; usually for people or places
- allure
more literary; suggests something fascinating or hard to resist
- repulsion
strong opposite; rare in everyday speech
Grammar Patterns
the appeal of + noun
have (a wide / mass / lasting) appeal
X's appeal lies in + noun
Usage Note
Always uncountable in this sense ('a wide appeal' is fine because the article goes with the modifier, not with 'appeal'). The collocations 'mass appeal', 'wide appeal', 'lasting appeal', and 'sex appeal' are very common and worth memorising as units.
Common Mistakes
2. an urgent public message, usually from a charity, the police, or a news outlet,
an urgent public message, usually from a charity, the police, or a news outlet, asking ordinary people to give money, share information, or offer help.
The Red Cross launched an appeal for warm blankets after the earthquake hit Taitung.
launch an appeal for + noun
Police made a televised appeal to anyone who saw the missing girl near Banqiao Station.
appeal + to + group of people
Donations poured in within hours of the charity's online appeal for flood victims.
appeal for + cause / recipients
The mayor issued an emotional appeal to residents to save water during the drought.
appeal + to + people + to-infinitive
Volunteers answered the radio appeal and drove medicine to the mountain villages.
- launch an appeal
- issue an appeal
- televised appeal
- urgent appeal
- charity appeal
- appeal for donations
Grammar Patterns
an appeal for + noun
an appeal to someone (to do something)
launch/make an appeal
Usage Note
Subject of the appeal is typically an institution (charity, police, broadcaster), and the audience is the general public. Distinguish from sense 3: this one asks for resources or tips, not for a decision to be reversed.
Common Mistakes
3. a formal request asking a higher court, or a person in power, to look again at a
a formal request asking a higher court, or a person in power, to look again at an earlier ruling, with the aim of having it changed or cancelled.
Mr. Lin filed an appeal against the three-year prison sentence the next morning.
file an appeal against + decision
The Supreme Court rejected her appeal and upheld the original ruling.
reject / uphold an appeal
On appeal, judges threw out Mr. Davies's conviction after defence lawyers showed police had hidden a witness statement.
fixed phrase: on appeal
The school board considered her appeal and agreed to readmit the student.
appeal to a non-court authority
His lawyers had only fourteen days to lodge an appeal with the high court.
lodge an appeal with + court
- lodge an appeal
- file an appeal
- right of appeal
- appeal court
- dismiss an appeal
- on appeal
Grammar Patterns
lodge/file an appeal
appeal against (a verdict / sentence)
win/lose an appeal
on appeal
Usage Note
Used for both criminal and civil cases, and also extends to non-court bodies such as schools, immigration tribunals, or sports federations. The pattern 'appeal against X' (the verdict, the fine, the decision) is far more common than 'appeal for X' in this sense.
Common Mistakes
4. during a match, a request by a player or team that the umpire or referee review
during a match, a request by a player or team that the umpire or referee review a play and either rule on it or change a call already made.
The Brazilian striker's loud appeal for a penalty was waved away by the referee.
appeal for + decision (football penalty)
Tennessee won the appeal after video review showed the receiver's foot was inbounds.
win an appeal (American football review)
Captain Sharma raised an appeal, asking the third umpire to check the catch.
raise an appeal + to + official
Each team is allowed two unsuccessful appeals per set before they lose the privilege.
unsuccessful appeals (volleyball-style challenge)
- loud appeal
- successful appeal
- appeal for a penalty
- video appeal
Grammar Patterns
make/lose/win an appeal
appeal to the umpire/referee
Usage Note
Most often heard in cricket (the famous shouted appeal to the umpire) and in any sport with a video-review or challenge system. Distinguish from sense 3: this is settled in seconds during a live match, not weeks later in a courtroom.
appeal — verb
1. if a thing or activity appeals to you, you find it interesting, attractive, or e
if a thing or activity appeals to you, you find it interesting, attractive, or enjoyable enough to want it or take part in it.
Quiet beach holidays appeal to my parents far more than busy tourist cities.
X appeals to + person
The idea of working from home appeals to many young engineers in Hsinchu.
the idea of + verb-ing + appeals to
Spicy food has never appealed to Grandma, even after fifty years in Sichuan.
negative: not appeal to
This new phone is designed to appeal to teenagers who care about camera quality.
designed to appeal to + target group
Does the offer of free dessert appeal to you, or shall we just get the bill?
question: does X appeal to you?
- appeal to a wide audience
- appeal to my taste
- appeal to teenagers
- strongly appeal
- directly appeal to
Grammar Patterns
appeal to + person/group
X (does not) appeal to me
Usage Note
Not used in continuous tenses: ❌ 'is appealing to me' ✅ 'appeals to me'. The subject is the thing being liked, not the person doing the liking — opposite of 'like'.
Common Mistakes
2. to make a serious, often emotional public request to a particular group for mone
to make a serious, often emotional public request to a particular group for money, news, or help with something important.
The mother appealed to viewers for any information about her missing son.
appeal to + group + for + noun
Doctors are appealing for blood donors after the bus crash on Highway 5.
appeal for + noun (cause)
The president appealed to citizens to stay calm during the typhoon warning.
appeal to + people + to-infinitive
Aid workers appealed to wealthy nations to send tents and clean water.
appeal to + group + to-infinitive
Local farmers appealed for government help after the long dry spell ruined their crops.
- appeal for help
- appeal for calm
- appeal for information
- appeal for funds
- appeal directly
Grammar Patterns
appeal to someone for something
appeal to someone to do something
appeal for + noun
Usage Note
Always intransitive in this sense: you don't 'appeal something' — you 'appeal TO somebody FOR something'. The tone is urgent, often desperate; for everyday requests use 'ask' instead.
Common Mistakes
3. to ask a higher court to look at the result of a trial again, hoping the origina
to ask a higher court to look at the result of a trial again, hoping the original verdict or punishment will be cancelled or made lighter.
Defence lawyers immediately said they would appeal against the guilty verdict.
appeal against + verdict (British)
The company appealed the fifty-million-dollar fine to the federal court.
appeal + object (American transitive use)
Mr. Chen plans to appeal to the High Court if the lower court rules against him.
appeal to + higher court
After two years in prison, Citlali Reid finally appealed his fraud sentence and walked free last March.
appeal one's sentence (American)
The murder conviction was appealed twice before the family finally accepted the result.
passive: be appealed
- appeal against the verdict
- appeal to the Supreme Court
- appeal a conviction
- appeal a ruling
- appeal a sentence
- accept
to take the verdict without challenging it
Grammar Patterns
appeal against (the verdict / sentence / fine)
appeal to a higher court
appeal a decision (American English)
Usage Note
British English strongly prefers the intransitive pattern with 'against' ('appeal against the sentence'). American English commonly uses the transitive pattern ('appeal the sentence'). Either is fine, but be consistent within a single text.
Common Mistakes
4. to formally ask a school, workplace, government office, or other authority to ta
to formally ask a school, workplace, government office, or other authority to take back or change a decision they have made.
Students can appeal to the dean if they believe their final grade was unfair.
appeal to + non-court authority
The family appealed against the immigration office's decision to deny them visas.
appeal against + administrative decision
Wei-ting is appealing to the housing committee about the rent increase next week.
appeal to + body + about + topic
Players who feel a yellow card was unfair may appeal to the disciplinary panel within 48 hours.
appeal to + governing body
If your insurance claim is rejected, you can appeal in writing within thirty days.
appeal + manner adverbial
- appeal to the committee
- appeal in writing
- appeal against the decision
- right to appeal
Grammar Patterns
appeal to (the committee / the manager / the board)
appeal against (the decision / the ruling)
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 3: that one is specifically about courts and verdicts; this one covers administrative decisions made by schools, employers, agencies, or sports bodies. Frequently followed by 'to' (the body) and 'against' (the decision).
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four describe something pulling a person toward it, but the strength and angle differ. 'Interest' is the weakest — it only catches your curiosity ('the topic interests me'). 'Appeal' adds a layer of personal taste: when something appeals to you, it suits who you are and you would happily say yes ('country life appeals to her'). 'Attract' is broader and often physical or visual — magnets, faces, and bright colours can all attract. 'Tempt' adds a hint of indulgence or risk; the thing is enjoyable but maybe not wise ('the chocolate cake tempted him even though he was on a diet'). So a documentary may interest you, the lifestyle in it may appeal to you, the host may attract you, and the buffet at the screening may tempt you — four different pulls, four different verbs.
Common collocations
Nouns
- appeal court
- appeal hearing
- appeal process
- appeal fund
Phrases
- launch an appeal
- lodge an appeal
- lose its appeal
- right of appeal
- on appeal
- appeal for calm
Prepositions
- to (a person/group)
- for (something needed)
- against (a decision)
Etymology
From Old French 'apeler' meaning to call or summon, which itself came from Latin 'appellare' (to address, to call upon, or to name). In late medieval English the word entered legal use first, in the sense of formally calling someone before a court. The 'attract / be liked' sense developed much later, in the eighteenth century, growing out of the older idea of calling someone's attention or sympathy. Today the legal, public-plea, and attractiveness senses all coexist, but a learner can trace them back to one core image: making a call that asks the listener to respond.