charge

noun

/tʃɑːdʒ/

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

Idioms

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money

[countable, uncountable] the amount of money that somebody asks for goods and services

admission charges
charge for something We have to make a small charge for refreshments.
Delivery is free of charge.

see also the community charge, congestion charge, cover charge, prescription charge, reverse-charge, service charge

Synonyms raterate

charge
fee
rent
fine
fare
toll
rental

These are all words for an amount of money that is charged or paid for something.

rate
a fixed amount of money that is asked or paid for something:
- a low hourly rate of pay
- interest rates
charge
an amount of money that is asked for goods or services:
- an admission charge
fee
(rather formal) an amount of money that you have to pay for professional advice or services, to go to a school or college, or to join an organization:
- legal fees
- an annual membership fee
rent an amount of money that you regularly have to pay for use of a building or room. In American English, rent can be used to mean rental: The weekly rent on the car was over $300.
fine
a sum of money that must be paid as punishment for breaking a law or rule:
- a parking fine
fare the money that you pay to travel by bus, plane, taxi, etc.
toll an amount of money that you have to pay to use a particular road or bridge.
rental an amount of money that you have to pay to use something for a particular period of time.

rent or rental?In British English rent is only money paid to use a building or room: for other items use rental. In American English rent can be used for both, but rental is still more common for other items.Patterns

(a) rate/charge/fee/rent/fine/fare/toll/rental for something
(a) rate/charge/fee/rent/toll/rental on something
at a rate/charge/fee/rent/fare/rental of…
for a charge/fee
to pay (a) rate/charge/fee/rent/fine/fare/toll/rental
to charge (a) rate/fee/rent/fare/toll/rental

Extra Examples

All changes will incur a charge.
The company will deliver free of charge.
The hotel operates a bus service to the beach for a small charge.
There is no charge for cashing traveller's cheques.
They agreed to waive the cancellation charges.
This service is available at a nominal charge.
We make a small charge for wrapping your gift.
a charge on company profits
The museum has introduced a £3 admission charge.
(British English) There is a quarterly standing charge (= an amount of money that you pay in order to use a service, such as gas or water).
They guarantee that there are no hidden fees and charges.
parking charges
Trained coaches will provide support at no extra charge.
What's that $30 charge on your credit card bill?
For orders over £30, you don't have to pay the delivery charge.

Topics Moneyb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

heavy
high
nominal
…

verb + charge

impose
introduce
levy
…

preposition

at a charge
for a charge
charge for
…

phrases

free of charge

See full entry

[countable] (North American English, informal) a charge account

Would you like to put that on your charge?
‘Are you paying cash?’ ‘No, it'll be a charge.’

responsibility

[uncountable] a position of having control over somebody/something; responsibility for somebody/something

She has charge of the day-to-day running of the business.
He took charge of the farm after his father's death.
in charge of somebody/something They left the au pair in charge of the children for a week.
in somebody's charge I'm leaving the school in your charge.

Extra Examples

We need somebody to take charge of the financial side.
The conductor has overall charge of the train.
The child is under my charge until her mother returns.
Stephen will resume sole charge for the time being.
She took personal charge of the files.
John has been put in charge of marketing.
I need to feel more in charge of my life.
She heroically gave her life to save the baby in her charge.
the police officers in charge of the investigation

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

overall
personal
sole
…

verb + charge

have
take
place somebody in
…

preposition

in charge (of somebody/something)
in somebody’s charge
under somebody’s charge
…

See full entry

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

of crime/something wrong

[countable, uncountable] an official claim made by the police that somebody has committed a crime

criminal charges
a murder/an assault charge
charge of something a charge of theft/rape/attempted murder
He will be sent back to England to face a charge of (= to be on trial for) armed robbery.
Both men deny the charges.
charge against somebody/something They decided to drop the charges against the newspaper and settle out of court.
without charge After being questioned by the police, she was released without charge.

Collocations Criminal justiceCriminal justiceBreaking the law

break/violate/obey/uphold the law
be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
be arrested/ (especially North American English) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US English) felony charges
be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially North American English) homicide/four counts of fraud
face two charges of indecent assault
admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for something)
deny the allegations/claims/charges
confess to a crime
grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail

The legal process

stand/await/bring somebody to/come to/be on trial
take somebody to/come to/settle something out of court
face/avoid/escape prosecution
seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
sit/stand/appear/be put/place somebody in the dock
plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
be called to/enter (British English) the witness box
take/put somebody on the stand/(North American English) the witness stand
call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of somebody
raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
reach a unanimous/majority verdict
return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
secure a conviction/your acquittal
lodge/file an appeal
appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict

Sentencing and punishment

pass sentence on somebody
carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
receive/be given the death penalty
be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years imprisonment)
be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
do/serve time/ten years
be sent to/put somebody in/be released from jail/prison
be/put somebody/spend X years on death row
be granted/be denied/break (your) parole

Extra Examples

fraud/corruption/felony charges
He has admitted the murder charge.
He was found guilty on a reduced charge of assault.
She appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and assault.
She is almost certain to face criminal charges.
The charges against you have been dropped.
The company agreed to pay $20 million to settle insider-trading charges.
The company has managed to avoid criminal charges in this case.
The court dismissed the charge against him.
a charge of armed robbery
charges relating to the embezzlement of public funds
new charges alleging the misuse of funds
to be detained/held/released without charge
The investigation resulted in criminal charges against three police officers.
He was arrested on a charge of murder.
They had pleaded guilty to the charge at Swansea Crown Court.
He was convicted of five charges under the Official Secrets Act.
He admitted seven charges of attempted murder.
The Court dismissed all charges.
charges of assault/murder

Topics Law and justiceb2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

grave
heavy
serious
…

verb + charge

bring
file
lay
…

charge + verb

allege something

charge + noun

sheet

preposition

on a/the charge
without charge
charge against
…

phrases

bring charges (against somebody)
prefer charges (against somebody)
press charges (against somebody)
…

See full entry

[countable] a statement accusing somebody of doing something wrong or bad synonym allegation

She rejected the charge that the story was untrue.
Be careful you don't leave yourself open to charges of political bias.

Extra Examples

He accused the government of fabricating the charges for political reasons.
The charges will be difficult to prove.
The prime minister dismissed the charge that he had misled Parliament.
She defended herself against charges of racism.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

grave
heavy
serious
…

verb + charge

bring
file
lay
…

charge + verb

allege something

charge + noun

sheet

preposition

on a/the charge
without charge
charge against
…

phrases

bring charges (against somebody)
prefer charges (against somebody)
press charges (against somebody)
…

See full entry

electricity

[countable, uncountable] the amount of electricity that is put into a battery or carried by a substance

a positive/negative charge

Topics Physics and chemistryc1

[uncountable] the act of putting electricity into a battery; the electricity in a battery

on charge He put his phone on charge.
My laptop had run out of charge.

Wordfinder

battery
charge
conduct
connect
electricity
generate
insulate
power
switch
wire

rush/attack

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

He led the charge down the field.

Extra Examples

Allen led the charge, but could they get a goal back?
The bugle sounded the charge.
They were driven back by a police baton charge.
(figurative) Young people are leading the charge to clean up the city.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

baton
cavalry

verb + charge

lead

See full entry

explosive

[countable] the amount of explosive needed to fire a gun or make an explosion see also depth charge

strong feeling

[singular] the power to cause strong feelings

the emotional charge of the piano piece
a film in which every scene carries an emotional charge

task

[singular] (formal) a task or duty

His charge was to obtain specific information.

Word OriginMiddle 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’.

Idioms

bring/press/lay/prefer charges against somebody

(law) to accuse somebody formally of a crime so that there can be a trial in court
- Police have brought a charge of dangerous driving against the man.
- Many victims of crime are reluctant to press charges against their attackers.
- She laid charges against the firm for not complying with the regulations.
Topics Law and justicec2

get a charge out of something

(North American English) to get a strong feeling of excitement or pleasure from something
- I get a real charge out of working hard and seeing good results.

lead the charge

to be the first to make the effort to do something new
- Denmark, Norway and Sweden are united in leading the charge to a cash-free economy.

charge

verb

/tʃɑːdʒ/

/tʃɑːrdʒ/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they charge	/tʃɑːdʒ/ /tʃɑːrdʒ/
he / she / it charges	/ˈtʃɑːdʒɪz/ /ˈtʃɑːrdʒɪz/
past simple charged	/tʃɑːdʒd/ /tʃɑːrdʒd/
past participle charged	/tʃɑːdʒd/ /tʃɑːrdʒd/
-ing form charging	/ˈtʃɑːdʒɪŋ/ /ˈtʃɑːrdʒɪŋ/

jump to other results

money

[transitive, intransitive] to ask an amount of money for goods or a service

The fees charged by some companies are excessive.
charge something for something What did they charge for the repairs?
The restaurant charges £40 for the set menu.
They are charging a reasonable price for the album.
charge somebody for something We won't charge you for delivery.
charge somebody something He only charged me half price.
charge somebody something for something She charged me £300 for the car.
charge something at something Calls are charged at 36p per minute.
charge for something Do you think museums should charge for admission?
charge to do something The bank doesn't charge to stop a payment.
charge somebody to do something They charge you to change money into euros.

Extra Examples

They’re charging £3 for the catalogue.
Calls will be charged at 90 cents a minute.
Companies are free to charge whatever they like for their services.
Stamp Duty will be charged at one per cent.
We don't charge for delivery.
Your broker will charge you a 6% commission on the transaction.
The people responsible will be charged for the damage.
Interest was not charged on student loans.
Two other taxes are also charged on fuel according to its price.
We will charge an hourly rate for the work.
The cinema charges a flat rate of a dollar a show.
They charge smaller customers a premium.
The bank charges a commission on all foreign currency transactions.

Topics Shoppingb1, Moneyb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

directly

verb + charge

be entitled to
be free to
have a right to
…

preposition

against
at
for
…

phrases

charge something to somebody’s account

See full entry

[transitive] to record the cost of something as an amount that somebody has to pay

charge something to something They charge the calls to their credit-card account.
(North American English) charge something Don't worry. I'll charge it (= pay by credit card).
charge something against something Research and development expenditure is charged against profits in the year it is incurred.

Extra Examples

€50 will be charged to your account.
The cost is charged directly to the profit and loss account.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

directly

verb + charge

be entitled to
be free to
have a right to
…

preposition

against
at
for
…

phrases

charge something to somebody’s account

See full entry

with electricity

[transitive, intransitive] to pass electricity through something so that it is stored there; to take in electricity so that it is stored and ready for use

charge (something) I need to charge my phone.
Before use, the battery must be charged.
Don't unplug my phone—it's charging.
Let the batteries charge fully before using.
charge something up The shaver can be charged up and used when travelling.

Topics Physics and chemistryb1

with crime/something wrong

[transitive] to accuse somebody formally of a crime so that there can be a trial in court

charge somebody Several people were arrested but nobody was charged.
be charged with wth He was charged with murder.
be charged with doing something They were charged with organizing an illegal demonstration.

Wordfinder

arrest
charge
cordon
detain
detective
interrogate
plain clothes
police
raid
undercover

Extra Examples

A man has been charged in connection with the attack.
She has not yet been formally charged with the crime.
The teenagers were jointly charged with attempted murder.
She was charged under section three of the Computer Misuse Act.
Four of his assistants also charged in the case were fined and given jail terms of up to five years.
Companies are often charged with multiple offenses.
She was never charged with the crime.
Peters was charged with two counts of armed robbery.
to be charged with assault/manslaughter/rape
An unnamed San Francisco man has been arrested and charged with possession of stolen property.
They were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.

Topics Law and justiceb2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

formally
jointly

preposition

in connection with
with

See full entry

[transitive] charge somebody (with something/with doing something) (formal) to accuse somebody publicly of doing something wrong or bad

Opposition MPs charged the minister with neglecting her duty.

charge that… to make a claim or statement that something will happen or be the case

Opponents charged that cutting costs would reduce safety.

rush/attack

[intransitive, transitive] to rush forward and attack somebody/something

The bull put its head down and charged.
charge (at) somebody/something We charged at the enemy.

Extra Examples

I was worried that the animal might charge at us.
The rhino charged headlong towards us.
He ordered his troops to charge the enemy lines.

Topics War and conflictc1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

headlong
blindly
around
…

preposition

at
down
into
…

See full entry

[intransitive] + 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.

Extra Examples

I heard the sound of feet charging down the stairs.
She charged into the room.
The children were all charging around outside.
He came charging into my office and demanded an explanation.
The children all charged down the stairs and out of the front door.
Three of the men charged towards Gallagher.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

headlong
blindly
around
…

preposition

at
down
into
…

See full entry

with responsibility/task

[transitive] (usually passive) (formal) to give somebody a responsibility or task

be charged with something The committee has been charged with the development of sport in the region.
be charged with doing something The governing body is charged with managing the school within its budget.

with strong feeling

[transitive] (usually passive) (literary) to fill somebody with an emotion

be charged (with something) The room was charged with hatred.

glass

[transitive] charge something (British English, formal) to fill a glass

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

gun

[transitive] charge something (old use) to load a gun