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

The man accused of setting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence on fire in April was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison as part of a plea deal.

Read more on BBC

Cody Balmer, 38 years old, from Harrisburg, Penn., was sentenced by Judge Deborah Curcillo after pleading guilty to state charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary and other charges under a plea deal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Without that admission, she said, the protesting team’s pleas would have necessarily fallen on deaf ears.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Sanberg originally entered a plea of not guilty to the charges, but in August he agreed to plead guilty to two felony counts of wire fraud, according to federal prosecutors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A plea and trial preparation hearing will take place at Leeds Crown Court on 12 November.

Read more on BBC

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.