/ 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.