Charge

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

verbBeginner🔥Very CommonAction
4 meanings1 idiom/phrase2 questions

Definitions

4 meanings
1

To demand payment for something.

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

verbneutralBeginner
Action

To ask for money for goods or services.

They charge a lot for those fancy shoes.

💡 Simply: It's like asking someone for money for what you did or gave them. The mechanic charged me $100 to fix my car.

👶 For kids: To ask for money for something.

More Examples

2

How much do they charge for a haircut?

How It's Used

Commerce

"The restaurant charged us $50 for the meal."

2

To move forward rapidly and forcefully.

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

verbneutralBeginner
Action

To attack or rush against someone or something.

The bull charged the matador.

💡 Simply: It's like running really fast and aggressively towards something. The angry dog charged at the mailman!

👶 For kids: To run at something quickly.

More Examples

2

The police charged the suspect.

How It's Used

Military

"The soldiers charged into battle."

Tip:Imagine a bull charging at a matador – a rapid, aggressive advance.
3

An amount of money that someone must pay.

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

nounneutralBeginner
Finance

A sum of money asked for a service or good.

The admission charge was $20.

💡 Simply: It's like the cost for something. There is a small charge to use this app.

👶 For kids: The money you pay for something.

More Examples

2

There's a shipping charge of $5.

How It's Used

Finance

"There was a $10 service charge added to the bill."

Tip:Think of it as the price you pay for something.
4

A formal accusation of wrongdoing.

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

nounnegativeIntermediate
Legal

An accusation made against someone.

She filed charges against him.

💡 Simply: It means someone is accused of doing something wrong. The police charged him with stealing a car.

👶 For kids: Someone says you did something wrong.

More Examples

2

The police brought charges of fraud.

How It's Used

Legal

"He was arrested and charged with theft."

Tip:Think of a formal charge in court – it's an accusation of wrongdoing.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

in charge of

Responsible for something or someone.

"She's in charge of the project."

From Old French *charger, from Vulgar Latin *carricare, from Latin carrus "cart, wagon". Initially meaning "to load", it evolved to encompass various meanings related to loading, responsibility, and accusation.

The word 'charge' has a rich history, evolving from its original meaning related to loading a cart to encompass its various modern connotations.

Memory tip

Think of a charging station for your phone; it demands energy (payment) to work.

Word Origin

Original meaning

"to load"

charge a batterycharge aheadcharge someone with a crimeservice charge

Common misspellings

chargchragecarge

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written