charge */*/*/

I UK [tʃɑː(r)dʒ] / US [tʃɑrdʒ] noun
Word forms "charge":
singular charge plural charges

1) [countable/uncountable] an amount of money that you have to pay, especially when you visit a place or when someone does something for you

You will have to pay a small admission charge.

charge of:

There is a charge of £50 if you are over a week late with your payment.

charge for:

There is no charge for using the library.

free of charge (= with no charge):

The organization provides a range of services free of charge.

at no extra charge (= without having to pay any more):

Breakfast may be served in your bedroom at no extra charge.

2)

a) [countable] an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime

charge of:

They faced charges of conspiracy and murder.

charge against:

The investigation resulted in criminal charges against three police officers.

press/prefer/bring charges (= officially accuse someone of a crime):

In the end we decided not to press charges.

drop the charges (= no longer officially accuse someone of a crime):

She was accused of shoplifting but the police later dropped the charges.

release someone without charge:

He was questioned for six hours but released without charge.

b) a claim that someone or something is bad or has done something bad

charge of:

How do you respond to these charges of racism?

charge that:

The leadership rejected charges that it was insensitive to the plight of the unemployed.

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Collocations:
Verbs frequently used with charge as the object ▪  admit, bring, deny, drop, face, prefer, press, refute

3) [countable] an attack by people or animals running very fast towards someone or something

Captain Walker led a charge straight into an enemy stronghold.

4) [countable] physics the amount or type of electrical force that something has. The protons in an atom have a positive charge, and the electrons have a negative charge.

5) [countable] an amount of the substance that makes a bomb explode

6) [countable] formal someone that you are responsible for and take care of

She didn't like it when her young charges started crying.

7) [singular] the ability to produce strong emotions or feelings

The issue still carries a charge in American politics.

a real-life tragedy that gave the film a serious emotional charge

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in charge (of) — if you are in charge, you have control over someone or something and are responsible for them

Who's in charge here?

The nurse in charge explained what the treatment would be like.

Philip's in charge of our marketing department.

put someone in charge (of someone/something):

He was subsequently put in charge of the whole investigation.

take charge (of) — to take control and become responsible for someone or something

It was a great relief when Heather arrived and took charge of the project.

- in someone's charge

See:

cover charge, depth charge

II UK [tʃɑː(r)dʒ] / US [tʃɑrdʒ] verb
Word forms "charge":
present tense I/you/we/they charge he/she/it charges present participle charging past tense charged past participle charged

1) [intransitive/transitive] to ask someone to pay an amount of money for something that you are selling to them or doing for them

charge for:

Most clubs charge for the use of tennis courts.

charge someone something (for something):

You will be charged a small fee for food and lodging.

They charged us £20 for three drinks.

be charged at something:

All calls are charged at 36p per minute.

2)

a) [transitive] to arrange for payment to be made later

charge something to someone/something:

The flights were charged to his personal account.

Guests can make phone calls and charge them to their rooms.

b) mainly American to pay for something with a credit card

I decided to charge it, since I didn't have any cash on me.

3)

a) [transitive] to accuse someone officially of committing a crime

Two men have been charged in connection with the fire.

charge someone with something:

The police have charged him with murder.

b) formal to claim that someone or something is bad or has done something bad

charge someone/something with (doing) something:

The report charges cars with being responsible for half of the century's air pollution problems.

charge (that):

Republicans blocked Lee's nomination, charging that he was unqualified for the job.

4)

a) [intransitive/transitive] to attack someone or something by running very fast towards them

The colonel gave the order to charge.

The security men panicked as angry fans charged towards them.

b) [intransitive] to move somewhere quickly and carelessly

charge into/around/down etc:

The door flew open and Penny charged into the room.

problems caused by large lorries charging around country lanes

5) charge or charge up

[intransitive/transitive] to put electricity into a piece of electrical equipment such as a battery

The phone won't work if it isn't charged up.

6) [transitive] formal to make someone officially responsible for doing something

be charged with (doing) something:

The company has been charged with maintaining our computer systems.

7) [transitive] formal to fill a glass completely

I would ask you all to charge your glasses and join me in a toast to Max and Sue.

Phrasal verbs:

- charge up