plea deal

American

[plee deel] / ˈpli ˌdil /

noun

an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant under which the defendant agrees to plead guilty, often to a lesser charge or in exchange for a lighter sentence.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

plea deals

plural

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.

See Examples For:

plea deal

Brett Eagleson, whose dad Bruce was killed in the attacks, said he wanted a full trial, not a plea deal.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Or, they could negotiate some sort of plea deal with Clancy.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

Tiger Woods was suspended from driving for five years and fined after reaching a plea deal at a Florida court Wednesday in connection with a rollover crash in March.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

There had been reports in US media leading up to the hearing that Mangione would be taking a plea deal.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Whether a good plea deal is offered to a defendant is entirely up to the prosecutor.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023