In a court of law, a person's plea is the answer that they give when they have been charged with a crime, saying whether or not they are guilty of that crime.
The judge questioned him about his guilty plea.
We will enter a plea of not guilty.
Her plea of guilty to manslaughter through provocation was rejected.
Synonyms: suit, cause, action, allegation More Synonyms of plea
3. countable noun
A plea is a reason which is given, to a court of law or to other people, as an excuse for doing something or for notdoing something.
The jury rejected his plea of insanity. [+ of]
Mr Dunn's pleas of poverty are only partly justified.
More Synonyms of plea
plea in British English
(pliː)
noun
1.
an earnest entreaty or request
a plea for help
2.
a. law
something alleged or pleaded by or on behalf of a party to legal proceedings in support of his or her claim or defence
b. criminal law
the answer made by an accused to the charge
a plea of guilty
c.
(in Scotland and formerly in England) a suit or action at law
3.
an excuse, justification, or pretext
I gave the plea of a previous engagement
Word origin
C13: from Anglo-Norman plai, from Old French plaid lawsuit, from Medieval Latin placitum court order (literally: what is pleasing), from Latin placēre to please
plea in American English
(pli)
noun
1.
a statement in defense or justification; excuse
2.
an earnest and urgent request; appeal; entreaty
3. Law
a.
a pleading or allegation, now, esp., in a civil action
b.
the response of a defendant to criminal charges
a plea of not guilty
Word origin
ME plai < OFr plaid, suit, plea < L placitum, opinion, order, orig. that which is pleasing, orig. neut. pp. of placere, to please
COBUILD Collocations
plea
heartfelt plea
Examples of 'plea' in a sentence
plea
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
He is not thought to have entered a plea.
The Sun (2017)
He has yet to enter a plea and was remanded in custody.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He did not enter a plea.
The Sun (2016)
A not guilty plea was heard.
The Sun (2016)
The court accepted her plea of not guilty to murder.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Many refugees came to him with pleas for help.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Yesterday the judge took into account his early guilty plea.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
She also accepted some of his earlier guilty pleas to lesser charges.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The mother entered no plea and was given unconditional bail.
The Sun (2011)
We have a moral duty to answer their plea.
The Sun (2014)
The women made emotional pleas for the lives of their loved ones.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These pleas for action come against a background of turmoil in the eurozone.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Not guilty pleas on his behalf were made to two charges of murder.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He did not enter a plea but the court heard he intended pleading guilty.
The Sun (2013)
He made the plea for help after posting snaps of the two failed attempts online yesterday.
The Sun (2011)
Thursday he entered a guilty plea to two counts of second degree murder.
Christianity Today (2000)
Lodge spoke only to confirm his name and enter a not guilty plea to the charge.
The Sun (2007)
She spoke only to confirm her name and enter her pleas and was remanded in custody.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We cannot leave such pain and such pleas without an answer.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The emotional plea about the rank and file is irrelevant here.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But only very rarely does it contain a plea on behalf of those who have to pay.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
But he changed his plea to guilty when confronted with the snap.
The Sun (2008)
He did not enter a plea to a charge of murder and was remanded in custody.
The Sun (2007)
Neither man entered a plea and both were bailed.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Yesterday it seemed his plea had been answered after it was retweeted 400 times.
The Sun (2015)
But a court rejected his plea, saying there was no need to have a gun to collect mussels.
The Sun (2009)
More than usual, earnest pleas filled the Opinion pages but they were nicely balanced.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
plea
British English: plea NOUN
A plea is an appeal or request for something, made in an intense or emotional way.
He made an emotional plea for help in solving the crime.
American English: plea
Brazilian Portuguese: apelo
Chinese: 恳求
European Spanish: alegato
French: appel
German: Appell
Italian: supplica
Japanese: 嘆願
Korean: 간청
European Portuguese: apelo
Latin American Spanish: alegato
Translate your text for free
All related terms of 'plea'
cop a plea
to plead guilty to a criminal charge, esp. so as to get a lighter sentence
plea-bargain
In some legal systems, a plea bargain is an agreement that, if an accused person says they are guilty, they will be charged with a less serious crime or will receive a less severe punishment .
heartfelt plea
A plea is an appeal or request for something, made in an intense or emotional way.
plea agreement
an agreement between the prosecution and defence , sometimes including the judge , in which the accused agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for more serious charges being dropped
plea bargaining
an agreement between the prosecution and defence , sometimes including the judge , in which the accused agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge in return for more serious charges being dropped
Chinese translation of 'plea'
plea
(pliː)
n(c)
(= request)
plea (for sth)恳(懇)求(某事) (kěnqiú (mǒushì))
(Law, in court) 抗辩(辯) (kàngbiàn)
(= excuse) 托词(詞) (tuōcí) (种(種), zhǒng)
a plea for help请(請)求帮(幫)助 (qǐngqiú bāngzhù)
a plea for sb to do sth请(請)求某人做某事 (qǐngqiú mǒurén zuò mǒushì)
1 (noun)
Definition
an emotional appeal
an impassioned plea to mankind to act to save the planet
Synonyms
appeal
The government issued a last-minute appeal to him to return.
request
They agreed to his request for help.
suit
prayer
Say a quick prayer I don't get caught in traffic.
begging
petition
a humble petition to Saint Anthony
overture
entreaty
They have resisted all entreaties to pledge their support for the campaign.
intercession
Many claimed to have been cured as a result of her intercessions.
supplication (formal)
He raised his arms in a gesture of supplication.
2 (noun)
We will enter a plea of not guilty.
Synonyms
suit
The judge dismissed the suit.
cause
action
a libel action brought by one of the country's top bureaucrats
allegation
The company has denied the allegations.
3 (noun)
Definition
an excuse
Evidence is being invoked in support of pleas of diminished responsibility.
Synonyms
excuse
There is no excuse for what he did.
claim
defence
a spirited defence of the government's economic progress
explanation
The president has given no explanation for his behaviour.
justification
I knew there was no justification for what I was doing.
pretext
They wanted a pretext to restart the war.
He excused himself on the pretext of a stomach ache.
vindication
He called the success a vindication of his party's economic policy.
extenuation
Additional synonyms
in the sense of action
Definition
a lawsuit
a libel action brought by one of the country's top bureaucrats
Synonyms
lawsuit,
case,
cause,
trial,
suit,
argument,
proceeding,
dispute,
contest,
prosecution,
litigation
in the sense of allegation
Definition
an unproved assertion or accusation
The company has denied the allegations.
Synonyms
claim,
charge,
statement,
profession,
declaration,
plea,
accusation,
assertion,
affirmation,
deposition,
avowal,
asseveration (formal),
averment
in the sense of defence
Definition
an argument or piece of writing in support of something that has been criticized or questioned
a spirited defence of the government's economic progress
Synonyms
argument,
explanation,
excuse,
plea,
apology,
justification,
vindication,
rationalization,
apologia,
exoneration,
exculpation,
extenuation
Synonyms of 'plea'
plea
Explore 'plea' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of entreaty
Definition
an earnest request or plea
They have resisted all entreaties to pledge their support for the campaign.
Synonyms
plea,
appeal,
suit,
request,
prayer,
petition,
exhortation (formal),
solicitation,
supplication (formal),
importunity,
earnest request
in the sense of explanation
Definition
the reason or reasons why a particular event or situation happened
The president has given no explanation for his behaviour.
Synonyms
reason,
meaning,
cause,
sense,
answer,
account,
excuse,
motive,
justification,
vindication,
mitigation,
the why and wherefore
in the sense of intercession
Definition
a prayer offered to God on behalf of others
Many claimed to have been cured as a result of her intercessions.
Synonyms
pleading,
prayer,
intervention,
plea,
mediation,
advocacy,
solicitation,
entreaty,
good offices,
supplication (formal),
karakia (New Zealand)
in the sense of justification
I knew there was no justification for what I was doing.
Synonyms
reason,
grounds,
defence,
basis,
excuse,
approval,
plea,
warrant,
apology,
rationale,
vindication,
rationalization,
absolution,
exoneration,
explanation,
exculpation,
extenuation
in the sense of petition
Definition
a formal application in writing made to a court asking for some specific judicial action
a humble petition to Saint Anthony
Synonyms
entreaty,
appeal,
address,
suit,
application,
request,
prayer,
plea,
invocation,
solicitation,
supplication (formal)
in the sense of prayer
Definition
an earnest request
Say a quick prayer I don't get caught in traffic.
Synonyms
plea,
appeal,
suit,
request,
petition,
entreaty,
supplication (formal)
in the sense of pretext
Definition
a false reason given to hide the real one
They wanted a pretext to restart the war.He excused himself on the pretext of a stomach ache.
Synonyms
guise,
excuse,
veil,
show,
cover,
appearance,
device,
mask,
ploy,
cloak,
simulation,
pretence,
semblance,
ruse,
red herring,
alleged reason
in the sense of request
Definition
the act or an instance of asking for something
They agreed to his request for help.
Synonyms
appeal,
call,
demand,
plea,
desire,
application,
prayer,
petition,
requisition,
solicitation,
entreaty,
supplication (formal),
suit
in the sense of supplication
Definition
a humble request for help
He raised his arms in a gesture of supplication.
Synonyms
plea,
appeal,
prayer,
pleading,
request,
petition,
invocation,
solicitation,
entreaty
in the sense of vindication
He called the success a vindication of his party's economic policy.