Meaning & use

plea

noun·Academic

An urgent and heartfelt request, or a formal statement made by a defendant in court.

See it in a sentence

She made a tearful plea for donations to help rebuild the flooded school.

The defendant entered a plea of not guilty before the trial began.

A note on using this word

In legal contexts, plea refers specifically to a defendant's formal answer, such as guilty or not guilty.

Words with a similar meaning

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