An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty. / An excuse; an apology. / That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification.

(chiefly England regional, Scotland) To plead; to argue.

plural of plea

Third-person singular simple present indicative form of plea

simple past tense and past participle of plea

present participle of plea

(law) Plea to the effect that from some formal defect (e.g. misnomer, want of jurisdiction) the proceedings should be abated.

(US, law) Alternative form of plea bargain (“an agreement between a defendant and the prosecution in which the defendant agrees to a plea such as guilty or nolo contendere to a lesser charge rather than contesting a greater charge”).

(US, law) To make an agreement in which a defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge instead of not guilty to a greater one.

(US, law) An agreement in which a defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge instead of not guilty to a greater one