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• plea-bargain
  plea-bargain

  verb (used without object)

  to engage in plea bargaining.
• plea bargain
  plea bargain

  noun

  plea deal.

plea-bargain

¹ American  

[plee-bahr-gin] / ˈpliˌbɑr gɪn /

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in plea bargaining.

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verb (used with object)

1. to deal with or achieve by plea bargaining.

   to plea-bargain a reduced sentence.

noun

1. the agreement arrived at as a result of plea bargaining.

plea bargain ² American  

[plee bahr-guhn] / ˈpli ˌbɑr gən /

noun

plea bargains plural

1. plea deal.

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plea bargain Cultural  

1. An agreement that permits a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser charge instead of pleading not guilty to a more serious one. Plea bargaining is usually undertaken by a prosecutor to obtain important information from a defendant or to avoid a long and costly trial.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plea-bargainer
  noun
• plea-bargain
  verb
• plea-bargain
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plea bargains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of plea-bargain

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plea-bargain plea bargain

Cartabia says she can speed up trials thanks to measures to encourage defendants to seek plea-bargain deals and the hiring of thousands of support staff in courtrooms.

From Reuters ● Jul. 29, 2021

Mr Kabendera's release comes after he entered into a plea-bargain agreement with the prosecution.

From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2020

Prosecutors have offered the 45-year-old Earl a plea-bargain deal of three to 12 years in prison while he awaits a March trial.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 28, 2018

Prosecutors have offered Earl, 45, a plea-bargain deal of three to 12 years in prison while he awaits a March trial.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2018

The latest plea-bargain testimony to become public was provided by meat industry tycoon Joesley Batista and another company executive.

From Washington Post ● May 19, 2017

From this there carries a limited space for courts to reject grotesque or unconstitutional plea bargain terms.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

However, the court decided to impose the same sentence on all three, regardless of the plea bargain.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

Epstein's first conviction was part of a plea bargain Epstein reached in Florida.

From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2026

It is better understood as an enforcement concession—a plea bargain with reality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Defendants are typically denied meaningful legal representation, pressured by the threat of a lengthy sentence into a plea bargain, and then placed under formal control—in prison or jail, on probation or parole.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

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• declare
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