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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

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charge

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verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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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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
  • Dragon is the only currently operational cargo craft with this return-to-Earth capability; the others are designed to burn up in Earth's atmosphere when their missions conclude.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • These types of horrific events by terrorists are why those of us who work for peace and stability in the world continue our mission.
    Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 22 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
  • When freed from this responsibility, women can pursue education that increases their earning potential by as much as twenty-five percent for each additional year in school.
    Megan Bruneau, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • India linked the attack to Pakistan after a group called Kashmir Resistance claimed responsibility on Telegram.
    Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 24 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
  • After the attack, the juvenile creature was seen floating lifeless in the water, video footage shows.
    Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 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
  • Wines to try: Revelation by Goose Chardonnay 23 Revelation by Goose Ridge Rose 23 Revelation by Goose Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 23 Farther afield in New Zealand, the Marris family at Marisco Family Vineyards is upholding three generations of producing wines through dedicated environmental stewardship.
    Lana Bortolot, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Since then, Earth Day has become an annual reflection on environmental stewardship.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Most recently, Romania brought in legislation that requires employers to cover remote staff's expenses for internet, electricity and other utilities.
    Dee Coakley, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Financial experts advise having an emergency fund with three to six months' worth of expenses set aside for a rainy day.
    Rachel Barber, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Charge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/charge. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

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