noun · neutral
plea
/pliː/PLEA
Band 5-6speakingtask2
a formal statement by a defendant saying guilty or not guilty; a heartfelt request
Examples
“He entered a plea of not guilty.”
“Her plea for leniency was ignored by the judge.”
“The lawyer negotiated a plea bargain with the prosecutor.”
Band 8 sentence
“After negotiations with the prosecution, the defendant entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge.”
Collocations
- enter a plea
- plea bargain
Word family
plea nounplead verbpleaded/pled verb (past)pleading noun/verb
Common mistakes
He say a plea of guilty.→He entered a plea of guilty.
Please for mercy→Plea for mercy
Say it for a higher band
5say→6admit→7+plea
Synonyms
confession
Easily confused
please
“Please be quiet during the trial.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Crime & Law
Learn it with its set