- 1(formal) an urgent emotional request plea (for something) She made an impassioned plea for help. plea (to somebody) (to do something) a plea to industries to stop pollution He refused to listen to her tearful pleas. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedesperate, strong, urgent, … verb + pleamake, issue, ignore, … prepositiondespite a/the plea, plea by, plea from, … See full entry
- 2(law) a statement made by somebody or for somebody who is accused of a crime a plea of guilty/not guilty to enter a guilty plea Wordfindertrialaccuse, appeal, counsel, defendant, evidence, justice, offence, plea, prosecution, trial Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveguilty, not guilty, insanity, … verb + pleaenter, hear, change, … plea + nounbargain, bargaining, agreement, … prepositionplea for, plea of phrasescop a plea See full entry
- 3plea of something (law) a reason given to a court for doing or not doing something He was charged with murder, but got off on a plea of insanity. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveguilty, not guilty, insanity, … verb + pleaenter, hear, change, … plea + nounbargain, bargaining, agreement, … prepositionplea for, plea of phrasescop a plea See full entry Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘lawsuit’): from Old French plait, plaid ‘agreement, discussion’, from Latin placitum ‘a decree’, neuter past participle of placere ‘to please’.Extra examples Despite pleas from his mother, the gunman refused to give himself up. Her lawyer entered a plea of guilty on her behalf. Hospital visiting hours were extended in response to pleas from patients. She made an emotional plea for her daughter’s killer to be caught. The director of the charity made an impassioned plea for help. The feds said that if I didn’t cop a plea, I’d get about 15 years. The prosecution accepted a plea of manslaughter. The terms of the plea agreements weren’t disclosed. These facts cannot support a plea of diminished responsibility. They received suspended prison sentences after plea-bargaining by their lawyers. a final plea for his life
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