Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
plea bargaining
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A classic case of plea bargaining.
▪ But they say methods such as plea bargaining help to stop the courts becoming congested.
▪ The general sentiment among lawyers is that the Commission is likely to favour plea bargaining if sufficient safeguards can be built in.
▪ The system in Britain is not as dominated by plea bargaining, but it is certainly present.
Wiktionary
plea bargaining
n. The process of negotiating a verdict and sentence without a complete trial. vb. (alternative spelling of plea-bargaining English)
WordNet
plea bargaining
n. (criminal law) a negotiation in which the defendant agrees to enter a plea of guilty to a lesser charge and the prosecutor agrees to drop a more serious charge; "his admission was part of a plea bargain with the prosecutor"; "plea bargaining helps to stop the courts becoming congested" [syn: plea bargain]