charge 1 of 2

noun

Definition of chargenext
1
as in indictment
a formal claim of criminal wrongdoing against a person charges of burglary and armed robbery that have yet to be proved

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in mission
a specific task with which a person or group is charged your charge is to keep everyone else organized and busy

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in instruction
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned we've received an official charge about how to handle the situation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in responsibility
something one must do because of prior agreement the first charge of our armed forces is to defend this country against enemy attack

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in attack
the act or action of setting upon with force or violence the famously disastrous charge led by General George Pickett at Gettysburg

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in cost
the amount of money that is demanded as payment for something the charge for the book will be five dollars

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7
as in stewardship
the duty or function of watching or guarding for the sake of proper direction or control was given charge of the business during the owner's absence

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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

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9
as in thrill
a pleasurably intense stimulation of the feelings the slopes at this resort aren't particularly challenging and aren't likely to give expert skiers much of a charge

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10
as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something he inherited charge of the Paris bureau after his supervisor quit

Synonyms & Similar Words

charge

2 of 2

verb

ˈchärj How to pronounce charge (audio)
1
as in to ask
to set or receive as a price any shop would charge $100 to repair that thing

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2
as in to impose
to establish or apply as a charge or penalty charges a restocking fee for returned merchandise

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

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4
as in to order
to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority charged the soldier to keep watch over the prisoner

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to accuse
to make a claim of wrongdoing against he has not yet been charged with any crime

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in to fill
to put into (something) as much as can be held or contained charge a blast furnace with iron ore

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in to assault
to take sudden, violent action against plans to charge the enemy's fortification at daybreak

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in to thrill
to cause a pleasurable stimulation of the feelings of the players are going into this game still charged from their upset victory the week before

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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
In addition to serving on boards of the state’s two largest public pension funds, the controller is in charge of unclaimed property reported to the state and works to get those assets back to its rightful owners. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 25 Apr. 2026 The charges Gonzalez Nava pleaded guilty to expose him to a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 55 years behind bars, officials said. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
Perez was lifted during the three-run sixth, charged with four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. —Miami Herald, 26 Apr. 2026 Law enforcement officials said a man with multiple weapons had charged a security checkpoint in a lobby outside the hotel ballroom on April 25. —Michael Collins, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for charge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for charge
  1. indictment
  2. mission
  3. instruction
  4. responsibility
  5. attack
  6. cost
  7. stewardship
  8. expense
Noun
  • His lawyer, Ron Kuby, and Assistant District Attorneys Shalena Howard and Talia Gooding-Williams asked Justice Robert Mandelbaum to dismiss the decades-old indictment and conviction, citing a caseload of new evidence that was not disclosed at Ruiz’s November 1994 trial.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • When public outcry over the Wuhan lab and gain-of-function research increased, the indictment claims that Morens and co-conspirators purposefully moved government communications to private emails in order to hide them from the public.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of indictment
Noun
  • Altman pitched the conversion as critical to securing the vast amount of funding OpenAI needs to fulfill its mission of creating artificial general intelligence — or AGI — that will benefit humanity.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • The case centers on Musk’s claim that OpenAI, Altman and Microsoft betrayed OpenAI's original mission as a nonprofit to benefit humanity by forming a for-profit entity in March 2019, 13 months after Musk left the OpenAI board.
    — Deepa Seetharaman, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Definition of mission
Noun
  • Gukesh’s calm at the board was buttressed by an unusual focus in his training, on psychology, alongside the more traditional tactical and strategic instruction.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Start with a fertilizer program of once in March, May and October using an 8-0-12-4Mg for palms developed by the University of Florida following label instructions.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of instruction
Noun
  • August 23 – September 22 Clarity matters most today when money or responsibilities come up.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2026
  • While announcing Jacobson’s hiring, Stagwell said her responsibilities will include expanding ReachTV’s footprint and deepening its content partnerships.
    — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of responsibility
Noun
  • As shown in The Athletic’s match dashboard below, City might have had more of the ball, but Arsenal created some excellent opportunities with an attack-minded approach at the Etihad.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Both Hezbollah and Israel have have defended their attacks and claimed that the other has violated the ceasefire.
    — Sarah Dean, NBC news, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of attack
Noun
  • There are no performance incentive payments or cost-of-living increase for senior leadership in the current fiscal year, according to a budget overview, and no incentive payments for anyone in the coming fiscal year starting July 1.
    — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
  • Although Rolder’s short arm length could give him some trouble with block-shedding, several workable pieces on his profile likely speak to what Buffalo would go for in its new defense at a reduced cost.
    — Joe Buscaglia, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Definition of cost
Noun
  • Robinson was among 425 volunteers spreading out from four different locations on Saturday throughout Waukegan, removing trash from the lakefront, the city’s downtown and its neighborhoods, ending eight days of active environmental stewardship during the city’s fifth-annual Earth Week cleanup.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Public lands are managed for restoration, habitat conservation, recreation and long-term stewardship — outcomes that often require full ownership.
    — Susan Carr, Sun Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2026
Definition of stewardship
Noun
  • Fuel is one of the largest expenses for airlines.
    — Mae Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
  • The growth in units outpaced Amazon’s fulfillment expenses, which grew 9 percent year over year, as well as outbound shipping costs, which were up 12 percent.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of expense

Phrases Containing charge

Browse Nearby Words

chares
charge
chargeable
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Cite this Entry

“Charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charge. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on charge

Nglish: Translation of charge for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about charge

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