cop a plea
Idioms-
Plead guilty or confess to a crime in exchange for a lighter sentence; also, plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for not being tried for a more serious charge. For example, Arnold decided he was better off copping a plea than facing a jury . [ Colloquial ; 1920s]
-
Plead for mercy; make excuses. For example, He copped a plea about not knowing his way around . [ Slang ; c. 1940]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Maybe that is why, with closing statements scheduled for Monday, the lawyer for defendant William “Roddie” Bryan reportedly asked prosecutors if his client could cop a plea.
From Washington Post • Nov. 21, 2021
"Best case, cop a plea and make it go away."
From New York Times • May 7, 2018
Rather than risk a trial and a 30-year sentence, some cop a plea and accept a much shorter one.
From Economist • Oct. 2, 2014
According to the New York Daily News, Rodriguez recently met with MLB officials in New York City, and the evidence against him was so overwhelming, he’s looking to cop a plea deal.
From Time • Jul. 16, 2013
I could see that Clean was getting off with everybody standing around trying to cop a plea for Monkeyman.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
