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.

Recondite, lips zipped tight — ’cause of you, Vance can’t jail me Awesome to see you not cop a plea, turn on me like Cohen.

From Washington Post • Jul. 7, 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