lay charges

idiom

British
: to accuse someone officially of doing something illegal
Police are deciding whether to lay charges (against her).

Examples of lay charges in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The dramatic development came after lawyers for the Trump Organization spent time this week trying to persuade prosecutors not to lay charges in the case. Stephen Collinson, CNN, 1 July 2021 According to figures provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General, only 18 of the 250 Russians for whom enough evidence has been gathered to lay charges are in Ukrainian custody, as prisoners of war. Liz Sly, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Jan. 2023 The dramatic developments in the case this week came after lawyers for the Trump Organization spent time trying to persuade prosecutors not to lay charges in the case. Kara Scannell, CNN, 11 Aug. 2021

Dictionary Entries Near lay charges

Cite this Entry

“Lay charges.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20charges. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!