plead vs declare

plead and declare both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
plead	No	No	Yes	No
declare	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, declare is a hypernym of plead; that is, declare is a word with a broader meaning than plead:

plead (verb)	declare (verb)
appeal or request earnestly	state emphatically and authoritatively
enter a plea, as in courts of law	state firmly
offer as an excuse or plea	make a declaration (of dutiable goods) to a customs official
make an allegation in an action or other legal proceeding, especially answer the previous pleading of the other party by denying facts therein stated or by alleging new facts	declare to be
	announce publicly or officially
	proclaim one's support, sympathy, or opinion for or against
	designate (a trump suit or no-trump) with the final bid of a hand
	authorize payments of