charge 1 of 2

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
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

9
10

charge

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to ask
to set or receive as a price any shop would charge $100 to repair that thing

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
5
6
7
8

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

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of charge
Noun
Bowles was held in Fulton State Hospital on unrelated charges, police said. Kate Linderman, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025 The best photos from this year’s March Madness 1 of 68 The Gators make their charge Things turned around just after that. Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
The Tribune has withheld her name because she has not been charged with a crime and is employed by CPS. Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 18 Apr. 2025 Keep your access fully charged for just $2.50 $1 per month for one year. Molly Taft, Wired News, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for charge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charge
Noun
  • In 2022, in an indictment of a second group of MS-13 leaders, the D.O.J. expanded on the allegation.
    Danielle Mackey, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
  • The attorney for Rachel Morin's family says the trial of her murderer is a testament to relentless law enforcement and a devastating indictment of immigration failures that allowed her killer to murder the Maryland mom of five.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Saturday's launch was SpaceX's 42nd Falcon 9 mission of 2025.
    Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 Apr. 2025
  • But part of it, too, was another vote of confidence in the do-it-all player who has become central to everything about the Tigers’ mission.
    Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Or, to extrapolate Anderson’s hacks to this example, creating a competition with a sales incentive would be significantly more impactful than barking instructions.
    Michelle Stansbury, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • When the Trump administration tried to quash those instructions at the Fourth Circuit court of appeals, three federal judges said Trump must comply.
    Brian Bennett, Time, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The strategy is straightforward: invest at least $2,000 in a company's stock to gain shareholder rights, then submit resolutions pushing for corporate responsibility.
    Doc Louallen, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • That allowed companies to get out of the pension business, but gave employees more responsibility over their retirement funds.
    David Morgan, CBS News, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In March, two days of U.S. attacks killed more than 50 people, Houthi officials said.
    USA Today, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Another suspect, Jamison Wagner of New Mexico, faces federal charges in connection with two separate arson attacks on a Tesla dealership and the Republican Party's state headquarters in Albuquerque, according to court documents unsealed this week.
    Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • But that price and the CPI cost of eggs overall, which was up 5.9% in March, may not accurately reflect the drop in wholesale prices that started in the middle of the month.
    Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • If the project were to move forward, the letter says, Jennifer would not be displaced and would be provided with temporary housing, with moving costs reimbursed.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The White House remains committed to the stewardship and preservation of its historic grounds.
    Asher Notheis, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2025
  • The employees said cuts, which have hit the agency’s recreation, wildlife, IT and other divisions, show the Trump administration is shifting the agency’s focus away from environmental stewardship and toward industry and firefighting.
    Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Another major talking point in the meeting was cost control given the expense of the current and upcoming power unit designs.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Everybody is trying to save as much cash and defer any unnecessary expense.
    Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charge. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on charge

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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