Jump to:

• plea-bargain
  plea-bargain

  verb (used without object)

  to engage in plea bargaining.
• 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.

plea-bargain

American  

[plee-bahr-gin] / ˈpliˌbɑr gɪn /

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in plea bargaining.

---

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 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.

---

Other Word Forms

• plea-bargainer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of plea-bargain

First recorded in 1965–70

Related Words

• allege
• argue
• assert
• cite
• declare
• maintain
• respond