plead ignorance
idiom
: to say that one knows nothing about something
When asked about the reasons for these drastic changes, she pleaded/pled ignorance.
Examples of plead ignorance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Public figures can no longer plead ignorance to the loaded symbolism of the Nazis’ rigid-armed gesture.
—
Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025
Colleges and universities, fearing further lawsuits, may curtail their actions beyond the minimum legal boundaries of the decision, while advocates of the ruling plead ignorance about the outcomes of their actions.
—Dominique J. Baker, Scientific American, 7 July 2023
At the other end of this sequence of actors are the battery producers under contract with the global technology corporations, which can plausibly plead ignorance about the many abuses occurring at the far end of the chain.
—Siddharth Kara, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
That can create some awkward and even queasy moments, but at this point, nobody in their extended orbit can plead ignorance about the rules of the game.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022
And after this fall’s revelations—ranging from the portal for Homeland Security censorship requests to the FBI’s role in suppressing information about the Hunter Biden laptop—company employees can no longer plead ignorance about government involvement.
—Philip Hamburger, WSJ, 13 Dec. 2022
Davis has to plead ignorance because of what just happened to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for tampering with Brady — the loss of first- and third-round picks, plus fines and suspensions.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2022
The sophomore defensive end basically admitted Tuesday he and the rest of the Buckeyes are supposed to plead ignorance at any mention of the new position.
—Nathan Baird, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2022
Following those marching orders might not be for every filmmaker, but at this point nobody can plead ignorance about how the system functions, which requires taking directions as well as giving them.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 8 Nov. 2021
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Andres Oppenheimer, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2025
Colleges and universities, fearing further lawsuits, may curtail their actions beyond the minimum legal boundaries of the decision, while advocates of the ruling plead ignorance about the outcomes of their actions.
—Dominique J. Baker, Scientific American, 7 July 2023
At the other end of this sequence of actors are the battery producers under contract with the global technology corporations, which can plausibly plead ignorance about the many abuses occurring at the far end of the chain.
—Siddharth Kara, Foreign Affairs, 28 Feb. 2023
That can create some awkward and even queasy moments, but at this point, nobody in their extended orbit can plead ignorance about the rules of the game.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 13 Apr. 2022
And after this fall’s revelations—ranging from the portal for Homeland Security censorship requests to the FBI’s role in suppressing information about the Hunter Biden laptop—company employees can no longer plead ignorance about government involvement.
—Philip Hamburger, WSJ, 13 Dec. 2022
Davis has to plead ignorance because of what just happened to Dolphins owner Stephen Ross for tampering with Brady — the loss of first- and third-round picks, plus fines and suspensions.
—Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2022
The sophomore defensive end basically admitted Tuesday he and the rest of the Buckeyes are supposed to plead ignorance at any mention of the new position.
—Nathan Baird, cleveland, 18 Aug. 2022
Following those marching orders might not be for every filmmaker, but at this point nobody can plead ignorance about how the system functions, which requires taking directions as well as giving them.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 8 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Plead ignorance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plead%20ignorance. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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