plea-bargain

[ plee-bahr-gin ]

/ ˈpliˌbɑr gɪn /

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See synonyms for plea-bargain on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to engage in plea bargaining.

verb (used with object)

to deal with or achieve by plea bargaining: to plea-bargain a reduced sentence.

noun

the agreement arrived at as a result of plea bargaining.

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Origin of plea-bargain

First recorded in 1965–70

OTHER WORDS FROM plea-bargain

plea-bar·gain·er, noun

How to use plea-bargain in a sentence

He later accepted a plea deal that put him behind bars for 25 years.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Clearly the liberation of Gross took place in the context of what might be called a “grand bargain.”
Obama Realizes What 10 Presidents Didn’t: Isolating Cuba Doesn’t Work|Christopher Dickey|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Well, because conservatives often get more than they bargain for.
In Florida, ’Tis The Season for Satan|Jay Michaelson|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Schettino also tried to enter a plea bargain agreement, which ultimately was rejected by the Grosseto court.
The Costa Concordia’s Randy Reckless Captain Takes the Stand|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And Andorra is a tax haven with bargain luxury goods shopping and great ski slopes.
Up to a Point: Thanks to the Biggest Turkey, Uncle Sam|P. J. O’Rourke|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The promoters went his security and put up the cash into the bargain, and he went back to the publishing house victorious.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
It is probable he wished to provide written proof of a plea that he was an unwilling agent in the clutch of a mutinous army.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Keen and canny, they drive a close bargain but, scrupulous and conscientious, fulfil it faithfully.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
He would haggle in a bargain for a shilling, and economize in things beneath a wise man's notice or consideration.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Nor can he hold the company on the plea of ignorance by declaring he has not read it, for it is his duty to read the receipt.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

Cultural definitions for plea-bargain

plea bargain

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.