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Glite Dictionary
to plea-bargain

to plea-bargain

9 7.2
Agree to admit guilt for a smaller charge to get a lighter sentence or avoid a trial
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈpliːˌbɑːrɡɪn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acuerdo de culpabilidad
  • The defendant decided to plea-bargain in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence.
  • plea-bargained with prosecutors
  • want to plea-bargain
  • let's plea-bargain

Immigration law is a very strange creature where you can't really plea bargain.

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Examples

  • "I want to plea-bargain."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The assistant D.A. says she won't plea-bargain now, although she probably will eventually.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • And the guy wants to plea bargain a deal and he wants to demand five years in prison and so on.

    Film Courage

  • How can you plea bargain something like that?

    Mulholland Falls (1996)

  • "I knew at that moment I was in trouble and it was time to plea bargain," Cook says.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The general feeling was that Sarah would be better off to plea bargain.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • We'll plea-bargain down to a lesser charge.

    Married to It (1991)

  • They want me to plea bargain.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Now, Mr. Juarez, you're here as a witness as part of a plea-bargain agreement with the government, correct?

    Find Me Guilty (2006)

  • "We may be able to plea-bargain them down to lesser charges once the judge has been informed that you were acting to prevent the robot from causing any further damage..."

    Fiction book (2001)

Antonyms

trial
  • Formal
∞ 3.7

An official court hearing to decide if someone is guilty or innocent

Surface Forms

plea-bargain infinitive
plea-bargained past
plea-bargained past participle
plea-bargaining present participle
plea-bargains third person singular

Morphology

plea-bargain = plea bargain (semi-transparent) = plea + bargain

The verb is transparently based on the compound noun 'plea bargain', but the legal sense is somewhat specialized.

Etymology

The word plea-bargain is made of plea, meaning a formal 'request' or 'answer in court', and bargain, meaning a 'deal'. So a plea-bargain is a 'deal' where someone agrees to 'admit guilt' to get a lighter sentence or avoid a trial.