plea

noun \ ˈplē \

Definition of plea

1 :a legal suit or action

2 :an allegation made by a party in support of a cause: such as

a :an allegation of fact — compare demurrer

b (1) :a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's declaration in common-law practice

(2) :an accused person's answer to a charge or indictment in criminal practice

c :a plea of guilty to an indictment

3 :something offered by way of excuse or justification

left early with the plea of a headache

4 :an earnest entreaty :appeal

their plea for understanding must be answered

See plea defined for English-language learners

See plea defined for kids

Examples of plea in a Sentence

We are making a plea to all companies to stop polluting the environment.
The defendant entered a plea of not guilty.

Recent Examples of plea from the Web

With McFarland now exploring a possible plea deal with the government over the Fyre Festival disaster, expansion plans for Magnises have been scrapped and there’s little left of the company.

— katie robertson, Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 30 Aug. 2017
Luo's proposal came in the wake of a similar plea last year by 78 Chinese academicians in a letter to President Xi Jinping.

— dennis normile, Science | AAAS, "Science suffers as China’s internet censors plug holes in Great Firewall," 30 Aug. 2017
GoFundMe has a special page for Hurricane Harvey pleas for charities, individuals and families.

— barbara ortutay, The Seattle Times, "Donating to Harvey relief efforts: How, when, what to give," 28 Aug. 2017
Brown received a 20-year sentence as part of his plea agreement.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "Cindy Reese's appeal denied; claims she should have been acquitted or convicted of manslaughter," 22 Aug. 2017
Alston, who submitted her plea agreement in Lake Superior Court on Tuesday, faces a maximum eight-year sentence.

— ruth ann krause, Post-Tribune, "Woman, fiance plead guilty in neglect case," 16 Aug. 2017
According to the plea agreement, Bohnenkamp knew his companies were broke but continued to take money from more than a dozen customers.

— kristin rodine, idahostatesman, "Ex-Idaho jet boat builder sentenced in $3 million-plus fraud case," 8 Aug. 2017
Charles Kushner took a plea agreement and was sentenced to two years in federal prison at a military base in Montgomery, Alabama (he was paroled after one).

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "9 Things You Should Know About the Kushner Family," 21 July 2017
Two years ago, a Nashville prosecutor got caught using sterilization as a chip in the plea bargaining process.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Tennessee Seems Very Interested in Sterilizing People," 21 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of plea

Middle English ple, plede, from Anglo-French plai, pleit from Medieval Latin placitum, from Latin, decision, decree, from neuter of placitus, past participle of placēre to please, be decided — more at please

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

plea Synonyms

Synonyms

adjuration, appeal, conjuration, cry, desire, entreaty, petition, pleading, prayer, solicitation, suit, suppliance, supplication

Related Words

application, requisition; call, claim, demand, insistence

Synonym Discussion of plea

apology, apologia, excuse, plea, pretext, alibi mean matter offered in explanation or defense. apology usually applies to an expression of regret for a mistake or wrong with implied admission of guilt or fault and with or without reference to mitigating or extenuating circumstances.

- said by way of apology that he would have met them if he could

apologia implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief, or position.

- his speech was an apologia for his foreign policy

excuse implies an intent to avoid or remove blame or censure.

- used illness as an excuse for missing the meeting

plea stresses argument or appeal for understanding or sympathy or mercy.

- her usual plea that she was nearsighted

pretext suggests subterfuge and the offering of false reasons or motives in excuse or explanation.

- used any pretext to get out of work

alibi implies a desire to shift blame or evade punishment and imputes mere plausibility to the explanation.

- his alibi failed to stand scrutiny

PLEA Defined for English Language Learners

plea

noun

Definition of plea for English Language Learners

: a serious and emotional request for something
law : a statement in which a person who has been accused of a crime says in court that he or she is guilty or not guilty of the crime
: a statement in which a person says that he or she is guilty of a particular crime : a plea of guilty

PLEA Defined for Kids

plea

noun \ ˈplē \

Definition of plea for Students

1 :an earnest appeal

The prisoner made a plea for mercy.

2 :something offered as a defense or excuse

Law Dictionary

plea

noun \ ˈplē \

legal Definition of plea

1 a :an allegation of fact in civil litigation made in response to a claim — compare demurrer

b :a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's claim in civil litigation

Note: Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and in states where they have been adopted, civil pleas are abolished, and answers and motions are used instead. Such pleas were used at common law.

— dilatory plea \ˈdi-lə-ˌtōr-ē-\

:a common-law plea which is intended to defeat the pending action or proceeding without involving any decision on the merits of the case

— plea in abatement

:a plea entered by a party seeking postponement or dismissal of an action by setting forth some matter or defect regarding procedure, jurisdiction, or timing — called also plea of abatement

— plea in bar

:a plea that alleges the existence of an absolute bar (as a statute of limitations) to an action

— plea of abatement

:plea in abatement in this entry

2 a :an accused party's answer to a criminal charge or indictment

b :a plea of guilty

3 :an earnest entreaty

Origin and Etymology of plea

Anglo-French plei plai legal action, trial, from Old French plait plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum, from Latin, decision, decree, from neuter of placitus, past participle of placēre to please, be decided