charge
- 01 A2 Elementary
v.to ask for a specific amount of money for a service or a product.
v.to demand a specific price or fee for goods provided or services rendered.
Simple“The hotel will charge you extra if you use the mini-bar in your room.”
In context“The consultancy firm typically charges a premium for urgent projects that require weekend work.”
PitfallThey charged me for 50 dollars. They charged me 50 dollars.Do not use 'for' between the person and the amount of money.
- 02 A2 Elementary
v.to put electricity into a battery or a device.
v.to store electrical energy in a battery or capacitor.
Simple“I need to charge my phone because the battery is almost dead.”
In context“Electric vehicles can be fully charged overnight using a standard home charging station.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
v.to officially say that someone has committed a crime.
v.to formally accuse a person of an offence in a court of law.
Simple“The police decided to charge him with theft after finding the stolen goods.”
In context“The prosecutor intended to charge the suspect with conspiracy, though the evidence remained largely circumstantial.”
Usageusually takes the preposition 'with'
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to run forward quickly and forcefully, often to attack.
v.to move forward rapidly and forcefully, typically in a military or aggressive context.
Simple“The soldiers began to charge toward the enemy lines at dawn.”
In context“The rhinoceros suddenly decided to charge the safari jeep, forcing the driver to reverse quickly.”
- 05 A2 Elementary
n.the amount of money you must pay for something.
n.a formal price or fee levied for a service or privilege.
Simple“There is a small delivery charge for orders under twenty dollars.”
In context“The bank reversed the overdraft charge as a gesture of goodwill toward the long-term customer.”
- 06 B1 Intermediate
n.a formal statement by the police saying someone did something illegal.
n.a formal allegation of an offence or crime.
Simple“He is facing a serious charge of fraud in the high court.”
In context“The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault, claiming he acted in self-defence.”
Synonyms - 07 B1 Intermediate
n.being in control of something or looking after someone.
n.the state of having responsibility for or control over someone or something.
Simple“Who is in charge of the kitchen while the head chef is away?”
In context“The young teacher was left in charge of thirty energetic children during the museum field trip.”
Usageoften used in the phrase 'in charge of'
Synonyms - 08 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the amount of electricity in a battery or an object.
n.a physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.
Simple“The battery still has enough charge to last for another hour.”
In context“The experiment demonstrated how a positive charge attracts a negative one within a vacuum.”
Usage charge following · charges come
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.