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plea
[plee]
noun
an appeal or entreaty.
a plea for mercy.
Synonyms: , , , ,something that is alleged, urged, or pleaded in defense or justification.
an excuse; pretext.
He begged off on the plea that his car wasn't working.
Synonyms:Law.
an allegation made by, or on behalf of, a party to a legal suit, in support of their claim or defense.
a defendant's answer to a legal declaration or charge.
(in courts of equity) a plea that admits the truth of the declaration, but alleges special or new matter in avoidance.
Obsolete.a suit or action.
plea
/ ː /
noun
an earnest entreaty or request
a plea for help
law something alleged or pleaded by or on behalf of a party to legal proceedings in support of his claim or defence
criminal law the answer made by an accused to the charge
a plea of guilty
(in Scotland and formerly in England) a suit or action at law
an excuse, justification, or pretext
he gave the plea of a previous engagement
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of plea1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of plea1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
At a Saturday morning press conference, Mayor Karen Bass made a plea for peaceful protests, warning “the eyes of the world” were on Los Angeles.
All four defendants entered not guilty pleas Thursday and are being held on $100,000 bail.
Appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday, Williams was among three defendants who gave no indication of a plea at this stage.
He has a court hearing set for Friday where he will enter a plea.
The fine was reduced from £120,000 due to an early guilty plea.
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When To Use
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.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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