plea-bargain
Verb: * To formally negotiate an agreement between a prosecutor and a defendant, where the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a lesser charge or to one of multiple charges in exchange for a more lenient sentence or the dismissal of other charges.
This verb describes the specific legal action taken by a defendant and their attorney. It is often used in legal and journalistic contexts. * The defendant decided to plea-bargain to avoid the risk of a life sentence at trial. * After consulting with her lawyer, she chose to plea-bargain with the district attorney's office.
- Facing overwhelming evidence, the accused chose to plea-bargain.
- The prosecutor offered a deal, encouraging him to plea-bargain for a reduced sentence.
- Many cases never go to trial because defendants plea-bargain.
- To plea-bargain a case/sentence: This phrasing specifies what is being negotiated.
- The defense attorney managed to plea-bargain the case down from murder to manslaughter.
- They are trying to plea-bargain a lighter sentence.
- Plea bargain (noun): The agreement itself that results from the act of plea-bargaining.
- He accepted a plea bargain that included five years of probation.
- Plea bargaining (noun/gerund): The process or system of negotiating such agreements.
- The system of plea bargaining is common in many judicial systems.
- Negotiate a plea
- Cop a plea (informal/slang)
The core meaning is exclusively legal. It involves a formal, strategic exchange: a guilty plea for a concession from the prosecution. It is distinct from simply "pleading guilty," as it implies a negotiated agreement.
- agree to plead guilty in return for a lesser charge
- If he plea-bargains, he will be sent to a medium-security prison for 8 years