plead the Fifth
idiomatic phrase
variants
or less commonly plead the Fifth Amendment
or plead the fifth
chiefly US
: to refuse to testify against oneself in a court of law in accordance with the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution : take the Fifth
… appeared … for a deposition, but pled the Fifth dozens of times.—
Deepa Shivaram
Deepa Shivaram… wanted to plead the Fifth Amendment because he feared he'd incriminate himself.—Noah Goldberg
—often used figurativelyNoah GoldbergWhen asked if he felt appreciated by the Patriots, [Tom] Brady famously pleaded the fifth.—Ben Volin
Ben VolinExamples of plead the Fifth in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But his lawyers might well advise him to plead the Fifth Amendment and decline to testify.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
Joel Khalili, WIRED, 3 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plead the Fifth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near plead the Fifth
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“Plead the Fifth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plead%20the%20Fifth. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
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