press charges

idiom

: to take legal action against someone : to officially accuse someone of a crime

He was caught shoplifting, but the store owner didn't press charges.

Examples of press 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.

Zoom in: Harris County grand jurors have twice declined to press charges of criminally negligent homicide against drivers accused by police of failing to yield right-of-way and killing someone in a crosswalk since the Lisa Torry Smith Act took effect in September 2021, according to an Axios review. —

Jay R. Jordan, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025 The incident was investigated by police at the time and the Miami-Dade State Attorney declined to press charges against McGregor, who said the allegations were false. —

Ben Church, CNN, 16 Jan. 2025 Despite reporting the attack and completing a rape kit, Gettysburg officials and other authorities declined to press charges. —

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025 Drones messing with firefighting efforts — a federal crime — meant his prosecutors were ready to press charges if necessary. —

Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for press charges