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Meaning & use

pleading guilty

noun, verb·Academiclegal

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UK/ˌpliːdɪŋ ˈɡɪlti/
US/ˌplidɪŋ ˈɡɪlti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountablelegal

    The act of formally telling a court that you admit to the crime you are charged with.

    Grammar: Used like a gerund noun: pleading guilty can reduce your sentence.

    Patterns

    • pleading guilty to something
    • pleading guilty in court

    Pleading guilty to the charge may lead to a lighter sentence.

    His lawyer advised against pleading guilty without seeing the evidence.

    Pleading guilty means there is no trial about whether he did it.

  2. verbintransitivelegal

    Formally admitting in court that one committed the crime of which one is accused, in the -ing form.

    Grammar: As a participle: he is pleading guilty to fraud.

    Patterns

    • pleading guilty to something

    The driver is pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

    She surprised everyone by pleading guilty at the first hearing.

    Three men are pleading guilty to theft and will be sentenced next week.

Common combinations

pleading guilty to
He is pleading guilty to two counts of burglary.
pleading guilty in exchange for
The defendant is pleading guilty in exchange for a shorter sentence.
pleading guilty early
Pleading guilty early can earn a reduction in the sentence.
pleading guilty at court
After pleading guilty at court, she paid a fine.

Synonyms and how they differ

confessing
Confessing can happen anywhere, including to police, while pleading guilty is a formal act in court.
admitting guilt
Admitting guilt is plain, general language, while pleading guilty is the legal procedure.
owning up
Owning up is informal and for small matters, whereas pleading guilty concerns criminal charges.

Opposites

pleading not guilty

Word family

plead verb
to make a formal statement in court, or to beg
plea noun
a formal statement of guilt or innocence
guilty adjective
having committed an offense
guilt noun
the fact of having done wrong

Commonly confused: pleading guilty or pleading?

pleading guilty vs pleading

Pleading as an adjective means begging, as in a pleading look. In court, pleading guilty means admitting the crime.

Practice

By ___, the defendant avoided a lengthy trial.

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