charge
n. C / Un. the amount of money you must pay for a service or an item. It can also mean the power stored in a battery.
n. the price demanded for goods or services; alternatively, the physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.
There is no extra charge for using the hotel gym.
The technician checked the battery and found it had lost its charge over the winter.
While the initial service charge is relatively low, the long-term maintenance costs can become a significant financial burden for small businesses.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós Proto-Celtic *karros Gaulish *karrosbor. Late Latin carrus Late Latin -ico Late Latin carricō Late Latin carricāre Old French chargierder. Middle English chargen English charge From Middle English chargen, from Old French chargier, from Late Latin carricō (“to load”), from Latin carrus (“a car, wagon”); see car. Doublet of cargo.
Countable when referring to a fee or a military attack; uncountable when referring to electrical energy in a general sense.
The charge of the meal was twenty dollarsThe price of the meal was twenty dollarsLearners often use 'charge' for the total cost of a specific item like food, whereas 'charge' usually refers to a fee for a service.