# charge

/ˈtʃɑɹdʒ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/charge
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to ask for money

verb · CEFR A2

to ask for a specific amount of money for a service or a product.

For teachers: to demand a specific price or fee for goods provided or services rendered.

- The hotel will charge you extra if you use the mini-bar in your room.
- The consultancy firm typically charges a premium for urgent projects that require weekend work.

### 2. to fill with electricity

verb · CEFR A2

to put electricity into a battery or a device.

For teachers: to store electrical energy in a battery or capacitor.

- I need to charge my phone because the battery is almost dead.
- Electric vehicles can be fully charged overnight using a standard home charging station.

### 3. to accuse of a crime

verb · CEFR B1

to officially say that someone has committed a crime.

For teachers: to formally accuse a person of an offence in a court of law.

- The police decided to charge him with theft after finding the stolen goods.
- The prosecutor intended to charge the suspect with conspiracy, though the evidence remained largely circumstantial.

Usage: usually takes the preposition 'with'

### 4. to rush forward

verb · CEFR B2

to run forward quickly and forcefully, often to attack.

For teachers: to move forward rapidly and forcefully, typically in a military or aggressive context.

- The soldiers began to charge toward the enemy lines at dawn.
- The rhinoceros suddenly decided to charge the safari jeep, forcing the driver to reverse quickly.

### 5. a price or fee

noun · CEFR A2

the amount of money you must pay for something.

For teachers: a formal price or fee levied for a service or privilege.

- There is a small delivery charge for orders under twenty dollars.
- The bank reversed the overdraft charge as a gesture of goodwill toward the long-term customer.

### 6. legal accusation

noun · CEFR B1

a formal statement by the police saying someone did something illegal.

For teachers: a formal allegation of an offence or crime.

- He is facing a serious charge of fraud in the high court.
- The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge of assault, claiming he acted in self-defence.

### 7. responsibility or care

noun · CEFR B1

being in control of something or looking after someone.

For teachers: the state of having responsibility for or control over someone or something.

- Who is in charge of the kitchen while the head chef is away?
- The young teacher was left in charge of thirty energetic children during the museum field trip.

Usage: often used in the phrase 'in charge of'

### 8. electrical energy

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

the amount of electricity in a battery or an object.

For teachers: a physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.

- The battery still has enough charge to last for another hour.
- The experiment demonstrated how a positive charge attracts a negative one within a vacuum.

## Examples

- 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.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.