charges

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of charge.

   Prosecutors filed three separate charges after the investigation.

   The invoice listed several hidden charges at the bottom.

   Note

   Only the countable readings of the noun take a plural, and three dominate: fees, accusations and attacks. The surrounding words usually decide which one is meant. Prosecutors file or drop charges, an invoice lists hidden charges, and repeated cavalry charges are assaults. Physics adds a fourth reading, in which positive and negative charges are separate amounts of electricity rather than one quantity.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of charge.

   The cavalry charges the moment the signal sounds.

   This consultant charges by the hour rather than a flat fee.

   Note

   Every reading of the verb takes this form after he, she or it, but the constructions differ. A court charges a person with a crime, and a manager charges a deputy with a duty, so the same with serves both. For money, the object is the price: a consultant charges a fee, or simply charges by the hour with no object at all. Putting a purchase on a card is an American use: she charges it to her account.

   The district attorney charges him with fraud.

   She charges the dinner to her credit card.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2