CHARGE


Meaning of CHARGE in English

/ tʃɑːdʒ; NAmE tʃɑːrdʒ/ noun , verb

■ noun

MONEY

1.

[ C , U ] charge (for sth) the amount of money that sb asks for goods and services :

We have to make a small charge for refreshments.

admission charges

Delivery is free of charge .

➡ note at rate

2.

[ C , U ] ( NAmE , informal ) = charge account , credit account :

Would you like to put that on your charge?

'Are you paying cash?' 'No, it'll be a charge.'

OF CRIME / STH WRONG

3.

[ C , U ] an official claim made by the police that sb has committed a crime :

criminal charges

a murder / an assault charge

He will be sent back to England to face a charge of (= to be on trial for) armed robbery.

They decided to drop the charges against the newspaper and settle out of court.

After being questioned by the police, she was released without charge .

4.

[ C ] a statement accusing sb of doing sth wrong or bad

SYN allegation :

She rejected the charge that the story was untrue.

Be careful you don't leave yourself open to charges of political bias.

RESPONSIBILITY

5.

[ U ] a position of having control over sb/sth; responsibility for sb/sth :

She has charge of the day-to-day running of the business.

They left the au pair in charge of the children for a week.

He took charge of the farm after his father's death.

I'm leaving the school in your charge.

6.

[ C ] ( formal or humorous ) a person that you have responsibility for and care for

ELECTRICITY

7.

[ C , U ] the amount of electricity that is put into a battery or carried by a substance :

a positive / negative charge

RUSH / ATTACK

8.

[ C ] a sudden rush or violent attack, for example by soldiers, wild animals or players in some sports :

He led the charge down the field.

EXPLOSIVE

9.

[ C ] the amount of explosive needed to fire a gun or make an explosion

—see also depth charge

STRONG FEELING

10.

[ sing. ] the power to cause strong feelings :

the emotional charge of the piano piece

TASK

11.

[ sing. ] ( formal ) a task or duty :

His charge was to obtain specific information.

IDIOMS

- bring / press / prefer charges against sb

- get a charge out of sth

—more at reverse verb

■ verb

MONEY

1.

charge (sb/sth) for sth | charge (sb) sth (for sth) to ask an amount of money for goods or a service :

[ vn ]

What did they charge for the repairs?

The restaurant charged £20 for dinner.

We won't charge you for delivery.

They're charging £3 for the catalogue.

[ vnn ]

He only charged me half price.

[ v ]

Do you think museums should charge for admission?

[also v to inf , vn to inf ]

2.

[ vn ] charge sth to sth to record the cost of sth as an amount that sb has to pay :

They charge the calls to their credit-card account.

( NAmE )

Don't worry. I'll charge it (= pay by credit card) .

WITH CRIME / STH WRONG

3.

[ vn ] charge sb (with sth / with doing sth) to accuse sb formally of a crime so that there can be a trial in court :

He was charged with murder.

Several people were arrested but nobody was charged.

4.

[ vn ] charge sb (with sth / with doing sth) ( formal ) to accuse sb publicly of doing sth wrong or bad :

Opposition MPs charged the minister with neglecting her duty.

RUSH / ATTACK

5.

to rush forward and attack sb/sth :

[ v ]

The bull put its head down and charged.

We charged at the enemy.

[also vn ]

6.

[ v + adv. / prep. ] to rush in a particular direction :

The children charged down the stairs.

He came charging into my room and demanded to know what was going on.

WITH RESPONSIBILITY / TASK

7.

[ vn ] (usually passive) charge sb with sth ( formal ) to give sb a responsibility or task :

The committee has been charged with the development of sport in the region.

The governing body is charged with managing the school within its budget.

WITH ELECTRICITY

8.

[ vn ] charge (sth) (up) to pass electricity through sth so that it is stored there :

Before use, the battery must be charged.

The shaver can be charged up and used when travelling.

WITH STRONG FEELING

9.

[ vn ] (usually passive) charge sth (with sth) ( literary ) to fill sb with an emotion :

The room was charged with hatred.

a highly charged atmosphere

GLASS

10.

[ vn ] ( BrE , formal ) to fill a glass :

Please charge your glasses and drink a toast to the bride and groom!

GUN

11.

[ vn ] ( old use ) to load a gun

••

WORD ORIGIN

Middle English (in the general senses to load and a load ), from Old French charger (verb), charge (noun), from late Latin carricare , carcare to load, from Latin carrus wheeled vehicle.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.