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Plea vs Reply - What's the difference?

plea | reply |

As verbs the difference between plea and reply

is that plea is to fold, fold up, double while reply is (intransitive) to give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.

As a noun reply is

a written or spoken response; part of a conversation.

plea

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • An appeal, petition, urgent prayer or entreaty.
  • a plea for mercy
  • An excuse; an apology.
  • 1667', ''Necessity, the tyrant’s '''plea .'' --, ''Paradise Lost IV.393
    (rfdate) No plea must serve; ‘t is cruelty to spare. -- .
  • That which is alleged or pleaded, in defense or in justification.
  • (legal) That which is alleged by a party in support of his cause.
  • (legal) An allegation of fact in a cause, as distinguished from a demurrer.
  • (legal) The defendant’s answer to the plaintiff’s declaration and demand.
  • (legal) A cause in court; a lawsuit; as, the Court of Common Pleas. See under Common.
  • (rfdate) The Supreme Judicial Court shall have cognizance of pleas real, personal, and mixed. --Laws of Massachusetts.

    Usage notes

    In 19th century U.K. law, that which the plaintiff alleges in his declaration is answered and repelled or justified by the defendant’s plea. In chancery practice, a plea is a special answer showing or relying upon one or more things as a cause why the suit should be either dismissed, delayed, or barred. In criminal practice, the plea is the defendant’s formal answer to the indictment or information presented against him/her.

    Anagrams

    *

    reply

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • (intransitive) To give a written or spoken response, especially to a question, request, accusation or criticism; to answer.
  • Please reply to my letter.
    "Sorry I'm late," replied the student.
    He replied that he was not sure.
  • To act or gesture in response.
  • Joanne replied to Pete's insult with a slap to his face.
  • * 1988 , Emmanuel Doe Ziorklui, Ghana: Nkrumah to Rawlings
  • It is a sound to be dreaded until you ascertain that it is being made by friendly forces; even then, your welcome to it must be tempered with some caution, because gunfire usually leads to replying gunfire
  • To repeat something back; to echo.
  • Synonyms

    * respond, answer, retort, answer back, react, rejoin, counter, return, revert, follow up, get back to

    Noun

    (replies)
  • A written or spoken response; part of a conversation.
  • Something given in reply.
  • Synonyms

    * answer, comeback, response, retort, return, account, rejoinder, riposte, reaction