stipulate

Definition

To formally agree to specific terms or conditions in a contract, or to agree that certain facts are true so you don't have to waste time proving them in court. It's the legal profession's way of saying "fine, we'll accept that for the sake of argument." Also saves billable hours, which is probably the real reason lawyers do it.

Example Usage

Both parties stipulated to the authenticity of the documents, allowing the trial to focus on their interpretation rather than their validity.

Source: Legal practice terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

guardianship

A legal arrangement where one person gets the dubious honor of being responsible for someone else's life decisions, typically because the other person can't or shouldn't make them alone. It's like being appointed the permanent designated driver for someone's entire existence. Courts love handing these out when minors, incapacitated adults, or estates need a responsible adult in charge.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

incarceration

The state-sponsored timeout for adults who've broken society's rules, involving an extended stay in accommodations with bars on the windows and no checkout option. A legal system's way of removing someone from circulation, often discussed in policy debates about criminal justice reform. Think of it as mandatory attendance at the world's least fun boarding school.

⚖️ Legal

Intermediate

Remedy

What the court gives you to make things right after someone wrongs you, which usually means money because the legal system has not figured out how to order someone to sincerely apologize. The judicial equivalent of putting a band-aid on a broken leg.

⚖️ Legal

Advanced

preclusion

The legal equivalent of slamming a door in someone's face—it's when you're prevented from doing something, raising an issue, or re-litigating a matter that's already been decided. Courts use preclusion doctrines to prevent parties from getting infinite do-overs on the same legal questions. Once the gavel falls and preclusion kicks in, that argument is dead and buried, no matter how much you'd like to resurrect it.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

lawsuit

The civilized alternative to settling disputes with pitchforks and torches, where disagreeing parties ask a judge (and possibly a jury) to decide who's right using an absurdly expensive process involving lawyers, paperwork, and years of your life. It's basically formalized arguing with filing fees. The grown-up version of 'I'm telling Mom' except Mom wears a robe and has a gavel.

⚖️ Legal

Beginner

plea

A defendant's formal response to criminal charges, ranging from 'guilty' to 'not guilty' to the exotic 'no contest,' each carrying its own strategic implications and consequences. It's also the desperate entreaty you make when begging for mercy, leniency, or just asking the judge to please stop talking about your browser history. In plea bargaining, it becomes a negotiation tool where you trade your right to trial for a presumably lighter sentence.

⚖️ Legal

Translate This Term

See “stipulate” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

the grind

The unglamorous daily repetition of training—showing up when motivation is dead, doing the work nobody sees, and trust...