plea bargaining

noun

plea bar·​gain·​ing ˈplē-ˌbär-gə-niŋ 

: the negotiation of an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant whereby the defendant is permitted to plead guilty to a reduced charge

plea-bargain

ˈplē-ˌbär-gən 

intransitive verb

plea bargain noun

Examples of plea bargaining in a Sentence

As a result of plea bargaining, he would not be sentenced to death.

Recent Examples on the Web

Worse, in a criminal justice system that relies on plea bargaining for more than 95% of cases and is overwhelmingly dominated by misdemeanor offenses, there may never be a chance to check whether the AI report accurately captured the scene. —Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025

The 2019 reforms moved us away from wrongful convictions and unnecessary plea bargaining, toward a culture of transparency and fairness. —Chris Alexander, New York Daily News, 13 Apr. 2025

According to Lawrence Schiller’s massive 2000 book about the investigation, Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, the Boulder DA had a liberal culture, emphasizing community policing and plea bargaining instead of going to trial. —Alessa Dominguez, Vulture, 22 Nov. 2024

Enhancements are often dropped during the plea bargaining stage in Canyon County, court records show. —Rachel Spacek, Idaho Statesman, 25 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

plea bargaining

noun

: the negotiation of an agreement between the prosecution and the defense whereby the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser offense or to one or some of multiple offenses usually in exchange for more lenient sentencing recommendations, a specific sentence, or dismissal of other charges

plea-bargain intransitive verb

plea bargain noun