plea

[plee]

noun

1. an appeal or entreaty.

   a plea for mercy.

   Synonyms: suit, solicitation, supplication, petition, request

2. something that is alleged, urged, or pleaded in defense or justification.

3. an excuse; pretext.

   He begged off on the plea that his car wasn't working.

   Synonyms: justification

4. Law.

   1. an allegation made by, or on behalf of, a party to a legal suit, in support of their claim or defense.

   2. a defendant's answer to a legal declaration or charge.

   3. (in courts of equity) a plea that admits the truth of the declaration, but alleges special or new matter in avoidance.

   4. Obsolete.,  a suit or action.

plea

/ pliː /

noun

1. an earnest entreaty or request

   a plea for help

2. 1. law something alleged or pleaded by or on behalf of a party to legal proceedings in support of his claim or defence

   2. criminal law the answer made by an accused to the charge

      a plea of guilty

   3. (in Scotland and formerly in England) a suit or action at law

3. an excuse, justification, or pretext

   he gave the plea of a previous engagement

Word History and Origins

Origin of plea¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English ple, earlier plaid from Old French, from early Medieval Latin placitum “law-court, suit, decision, decree,” Latin: “opinion” (literally, “that which is pleasing or agreeable”), placēre “to please”

Word History and Origins

Origin of plea¹

C13: from Anglo-Norman plai, from Old French plaid lawsuit, from Medieval Latin placitum court order (literally: what is pleasing), from Latin placēre to please

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cop a plea, cop.

see cop a plea.

Example Sentences

However, Mr North successfully saw the motion ditched after a plea for the membership "not to platform transphobic views".

From BBC

It reduced racial disparities and allowed more people to be found not guilty of their charges, likely because they were not being ground down into false guilty pleas by endless pretrial detention.

From Salon

After a contentious discussion that at times referenced discredited theories, low-quality data and desperate pleas from physicians and patients to rely upon sound science, a key committee of the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

She reduced his sentence from 12 months to nine due to mitigation, and then to six months for his early plea, before suspending it for 12 months.

From BBC

At a July court hearing in Indio, Piscatella made an open plea to the court seeking to downgrade each charge to a misdemeanor and avoid jail time, according to a transcript of the proceeding.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appeal 
• application 
• entreaty 
• overture 
• petition 
• prayer 
• solicitation 
• suit 

When To Use

What does plea mean?

A plea is an intense request or appeal.It’s especially used to imply that the request is passionate and that the person doing the pleading is desperate.It’s especially used in serious situations. A person might make a plea to their friend to get help with an addiction. A kid might make a plea to their parents begging not to be grounded.In law, a plea is generally a defendant’s response to an accusation, as in a plea of guilty or not guilty. A plea-bargain is an agreement between a defendant and a prosecutor in which the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge. The slang phrase cop a plea refers to this and can be used in nonlegal contexts.To make a plea is to plead.Example: When I was a kid, I used to beg my mom not to make me go to the dentist, but she always ignored my pleas.