plead

你只能以不知情为借口了。

You'll just have to ___plead ignorance.

在法庭上，被告必须申辩有罪或无罪。

In court, the defendant must ___plead either guilty or not guilty.

他只能以工作压力大为由，为延迟提交辩解。

He could only ___plead pressure of work to excuse the late submission.