Plea Meaning
/pliː/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
nounAn excuse; an apology.
Sentence Examples
God, hear my plea.
The defence attorney achieved a plea deal of ILS 5 million.
She made an impassioned plea for help.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The defendant entered a guilty ____ during the morning court hearing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The defense lawyer entered a ____ of not guilty on behalf of his client at the arraignment.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English ple, from Old French plait, plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum (“a decree, sentence, suit, plea, etc., Latin an opinion, determination, prescription, order; literally, that which is pleasing, pleasure”), neuter of placitus, past participle of placere (“to please”). Cognate with Spanish pleito (“lawsuit, suit”). Doublet of placit. See also please, pleasure.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Even if only one person answers my plea for someone to correspond with it will be a blessing."
— 1981 December 1, George D. Johnson, “Personal advertisement”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 20, page 18:
"Necessity, the tyrant’s plea."
— 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
"No Plea must serve; ’tis cruelty to spare."
— 1668, Sir John Denham, Poems and Translations with The Sophy, “The Sophy”, Actus Primus, Scena Segunda, page 6:
"With my riches, my unhappiness was increased tenfold; and here, with another great acquisition of property, for which I had pleaed, and which I had gained in a dream, my miseries and difficulties were increasing."
— 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The defendant entered a guilty ____ during the morning court hearing.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The defense lawyer entered a ____ of not guilty on behalf of his client at the arraignment.