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as in expense
a payment made in the course of achieving a result the charges mounted at a dizzying pace as the building project went way over budget

Synonyms & Similar Words

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charge

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verb

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as in to ask
to set or receive as a price any shop would charge $100 to repair that thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in to task
to give a task, duty, or responsibility to we're charging you with the care of your little sister while we're gone for the evening

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb charge contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of charge are bid, command, direct, enjoin, instruct, and order. While all these words mean "to issue orders," charge adds to enjoin an implication of imposing as a duty or responsibility.

charged by the President with a secret mission

When is bid a more appropriate choice than charge?

While in some cases nearly identical to charge, bid suggests giving orders peremptorily (as to children or servants).

she bade him be seated

How are the words command and order related as synonyms of charge?

Both command and order imply authority and usually some degree of formality and impersonality; command stresses official exercise of authority.

a general commanding troops

How do direct and instruct relate to one another, in the sense of charge?

Direct and instruct both connote expectation of obedience and usually concern specific points of procedure or method, instruct sometimes implying greater explicitness or formality.

directed her assistant to hold all calls
the judge instructed the jury to ignore the remark

When would enjoin be a good substitute for charge?

The meanings of enjoin and charge largely overlap; however, enjoin implies giving an order or direction authoritatively and urgently and often with admonition or solicitude.

a sign enjoining patrons to be quiet

In what contexts can order take the place of charge?

The synonyms order and charge are sometimes interchangeable, but order may suggest peremptory or arbitrary exercise.

ordered his employees about like slaves

Examples of charge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Rapper Lil Durk has been arrested in Florida on murder-for-hire charges. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 An earlier release identified the teen as Jaylin Bennett, 17, who had been in state custody since 2022 on charges including terroristic threatening and escape. Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
The contractor, Zachary Young, was included in a November 2021 segment on war profiteers charging high prices to assist people in fleeing Afghanistan after the U.S. exited. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024 In 1992, Sullivan stood trial in federal court after being charged with conspiring to have McClinton Sullivan killed. Hilda Dzietror, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for charge 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'charge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near charge

Cite this Entry

“Charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charge. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.

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