cop

1
[ kop ]
/ kɒp /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cop ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), copped, cop·ping. Informal.

to catch; nab.
to steal; filch.
to buy (narcotics).

Verb Phrases

cop out,
  1. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often followed by on or of): He never copped out on a friend in need. You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.
  2. cop a plea.

Idioms for cop

    cop a plea,
    1. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
    2. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.

Origin of cop

1
1695–1705; compare cap (obsolete) to arrest, Scots cap to seize ≪ dialectal Old French caper to take, ultimately < Latin capere

Words nearby cop

cooter, cootie, cooty, coover, cooze, cop, cop a feel, cop a plea, cop off, cop out, cop shop

Words related to cop a plea

plea-bargain

British Dictionary definitions for cop a plea (1 of 4)

cop 1
/ (kɒp) slang /

noun

verb cops, copping or copped (tr)

See also cop off, cop out

Word Origin for cop

C18: (vb) perhaps from obsolete cap to arrest, from Old French caper to seize; sense 1, back formation from copper ²

British Dictionary definitions for cop a plea (2 of 4)

cop 2
/ (kɒp) /

noun

a conical roll of thread wound on a spindle
mainly dialect the top or crest, as of a hill

Word Origin for cop

Old English cop, copp top, summit, of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Old English copp cup

British Dictionary definitions for cop a plea (3 of 4)

cop 3
/ (kɒp) /

noun

British slang (usually used with a negative) worth or value that work is not much cop

Word Origin for cop

C19: n use of cop 1 (in the sense: to catch, hence something caught, something of value)

British Dictionary definitions for cop a plea (4 of 4)

COP

abbreviation for (in New Zealand)

Certificate of Proficiency: a pass in a university subject

Idioms and Phrases with cop a plea

cop a plea
1

Plead guilty or confess to a crime in exchange for a lighter sentence; also, plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for not being tried for a more serious charge. For example, Arnold decided he was better off copping a plea than facing a jury. [Colloquial; 1920s]

2

Plead for mercy; make excuses. For example, He copped a plea about not knowing his way around. [Slang; c. 1940]