{
    "term": "plea",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "c1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a serious emotional request, especially for something needing action now",
            "sensetop": "plea for somethingplea (to somebody) (to do something)",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She made an impassioned plea for help.",
                    "contextForm": "plea for something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a plea to industries to stop pollution",
                    "contextForm": "plea (to somebody) (to do something)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He refused to listen to her tearful pleas."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a final plea for his life"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Despite pleas from his mother, the gunman refused to give himself up."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Hospital visiting hours were extended in response to pleas from patients."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She made an emotional plea for her daughter's killer to be caught."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["desperate", "strong", "urgent"],
                "verb + plea": ["make", "issue", "ignore"],
                "preposition": ["despite a/​the plea", "plea by", "plea from"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a statement made by somebody or for somebody who is accused of a crime",
            "labels": "(law)",
            "cefr": "c1",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a **plea of guilty/not guilty**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "to **enter a** guilty **plea**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her lawyer entered a plea of guilty on her behalf."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The prosecution accepted a plea of manslaughter."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The terms of the plea agreements weren't disclosed."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Law and justice"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["guilty", "not guilty", "insanity"],
                "verb + plea": ["enter", "hear", "change"],
                "plea + noun": ["bargain", "bargaining", "agreement"],
                "preposition": ["plea for", "plea of"],
                "phrases": ["cop a plea"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a reason given to a court for doing or not doing something",
            "sensetop": "plea of something",
            "labels": "(law)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He was charged with murder, but got off on a plea of insanity."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These facts cannot support a plea of diminished responsibility."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["guilty", "not guilty", "insanity"],
                "verb + plea": ["enter", "hear", "change"],
                "plea + noun": ["bargain", "bargaining", "agreement"],
                "preposition": ["plea for", "plea of"],
                "phrases": ["cop a plea"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pliː/",
                "audio": "pl/plea/plea__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/pliː/",
                "audio": "pl/plea/plea__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘lawsuit’): from Old French plait, plaid ‘agreement, discussion’, from Latin placitum ‘a decree’, neuter past participle of placere ‘to please’."
}