noun
plea
A defendant's formal answer to a criminal charge.
The defendant enters a plea of not guilty in court.
Etymology
The older word concerns legal proceedings or argument. Criminal procedure specialized it to the defendant's formal response to the charge.
More examples
- She changes her plea to guilty before the trial.
- The judge refuses to accept his guilty plea.
- Both defendants enter not guilty pleas at their arraignment.
Forms
plea · pleas
plead verb — To formally answer a criminal charge.