Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Charge
Charge
(chärj)
, Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Charged
(chärjd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Charging
.] [OF.
chargier
, F. charger
, fr. LL. carricare
, fr. L. carrus
wagon. Cf. Cargo
, Caricature
, Cark
, and see Car
.] 1.
To lay on or impose, as a load, tax, or burden; to load; to fill.
A carte that
charged
was with hay. Chaucer.
The
charging
of children’s memories with rules. Locke.
2.
To lay on or impose, as a task, duty, or trust; to command, instruct, or exhort with authority; to enjoin; to urge earnestly;
as, to
. charge
a jury; to charge
the clergy of a diocese; to charge
an agentMoses . . .
charged
you to love the Lord your God. Josh. xxii. 5.
Cromwell, I
charge
thee, fling away ambition. Shakespeare
3.
To lay on, impose, or make subject to or liable for.
When land shall be
charged
by any lien. Kent.
4.
To fix or demand as a price;
as, he
. charges
two dollars a barrel for apples5.
To place something to the account of as a debt; to debit,
as, to
. Also, to enter upon the debit side of an account; charge
one with goodsas, to
. charge
a sum to one6.
To impute or ascribe; to lay to one's charge.
No more accuse thy pen, but
On native sloth and negligence of time.
charge
the crimeOn native sloth and negligence of time.
Dryden.
7.
To accuse; to make a charge or assertion against (a person or thing); to lay the responsibility (for something said or done) at the door of.
If he did that wrong you
charge
him with. Tennyson.
8.
To place within or upon any firearm, piece of apparatus or machinery, the quantity it is intended and fitted to hold or bear; to load; to fill;
as, to
charge
a gun; to charge
an electrical machine, etc.Their battering cannon
charged
to the mouths. Shakespeare
9.
To ornament with or cause to bear;
as, to
. charge
an architectural member with a molding10.
(Her.)
To assume as a bearing;
as, he
; to add to or represent on; charges
three roses oras, he
. charges
his shield with three roses or11.
To call to account; to challenge.
[Obs.]
To
charge
me to an answer. Shakespeare
12.
To bear down upon; to rush upon; to attack.
Syn. – To intrust; command; exhort; instruct; accuse; impeach; arraign. See
Accuse
. Charge
,Verb.
I.
1.
To make an onset or rush;
as, to
. charge
with fixed bayonetsLike your heroes of antiquity, he
charges
in iron. Glanvill.
“
Charge
for the guns!” he said. Tennyson.
2.
To demand a price;
as, to
. charge
high for goods3.
To debit on an account;
as, to
. charge
for purchases4.
To squat on its belly and be still; – a command given by a sportsman to a dog.
1.
A load or burder laid upon a person or thing.
2.
A person or thing commited or intrusted to the care, custody, or management of another; a trust.
☞ The people of a parish or church are called the charge of the clergyman who is set over them.
3.
Custody or care of any person, thing, or place; office; responsibility; oversight; obigation; duty.
'Tis a great
charge
to come under one body's hand. Shakespeare
4.
Heed; care; anxiety; trouble.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
5.
Harm.
[Obs.]
Chaucer.
6.
An order; a mandate or command; an injunction.
The king gave
cherge
concerning Absalom. 2. Sam. xviii. 5.
7.
An address (esp. an earnest or impressive address) containing instruction or exhortation;
as, the
. charge
of a judge to a jury; the charge
of a bishop to his clergy8.
An accusation of a wrong of offense; allegation; indictment; specification of something alleged.
The
charge
of confounding very different classes of phenomena. Whewell.
9.
Whatever constitutes a burden on property, as rents, taxes, lines, etc.; costs; expense incurred; – usually in the plural.
10.
The price demanded for a thing or service.
11.
An entry or a account of that which is due from one party to another; that which is debited in a business transaction;
as, a
. charge
in an account book12.
That quantity, as of ammunition, electricity, ore, fuel, etc., which any apparatus, as a gun, battery, furnace, machine, etc., is intended to receive and fitted to hold, or which is actually in it at one time
13.
The act of rushing upon, or towards, an enemy; a sudden onset or attack, as of troops, esp. cavalry; hence, the signal for attack;
as, to sound the
. charge
Never, in any other war afore, gave the Romans a hotter
charge
upon the enemies. Holland.
The
charge
of the light brigade. Tennyson.
14.
A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack;
as, to bring a weapon to the
. charge
15.
(Far.)
A sort of plaster or ointment.
17.
[Cf.
Charre
.] Thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; – called also
charre
. 18.
Weight; import; value.
Many suchlike “as's” of great
charge
. Shakespeare
Syn. – Care; custody; trust; management; office; expense; cost; price; assault; attack; onset; injunction; command; order; mandate; instruction; accusation; indictment.
Webster 1828 Edition
Charge
CHARGE
, v.t.1.
To rush on; to fall on; to attack, especially with fixed bayonets; as, an army charges the enemy.2.
To load, as a musket or cannon; to thrust in powder, or powder and ball or shot.3.
To lead or burden; to throw on or impose that which oppresses; as, to charge the stomach with indigestible food; or to lay on, or to fill, without oppressing; as, to charge the memory with rules and precepts; to charge the mid with facts.4.
To set or lay on; to impose, as a tax; as, the land is charged with a quit rent; a rent is charge on the land.5.
To lay on or impose, as a task.The gospel chargeth us with piety towards God.
6.
To put or lay on; as, to charge a building with ornaments, often implying superfluity.7.
To lay on, as a duty; followed by with.The commander charged the officer with the execution of the project. See Gen. 40:4
8.
To entrust to; as, an officer is charged with dispatches.9.
To set to, as a dept; to place on the debit side of an account; as, to charge a man with the price of goods sold to him.10.
To load or lay on in words, something wrong, reproachful or criminal; to impute to; as, to charge a man with theft.11.
To lay on in words; to impute to; followed by on before the person; as, to charge a crime on the offender; to charge evil consequences on the doctrines of the stoics.12.
To lay on, give or communicate, as an order, command or earnest request; to enjoin; to exhort.In all this, Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. Job 1.
13.
To lay on, give or communicate, as an order, command or earnest request; to enjoin; to exhort.Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded. 1 Tim. 4.In this sense, when the command is given in the name of God, or with an oath, the phrase amounts to an adjuration.
To adjure; to bind by an oath. 1 Sam. 14:28.
14.
To give directions to; to instruct authoritatively; as, the judge charged the grand jury to inquire respecting breaches of the peace.15.
To communicate electrical matter to, as to a coated vial, or an electrical battery.CHARGE
,Verb.
I.
CHARGE
,Noun.
1.
That which is laid on or in; in a general sense, any load or burden. It is the same word radically as cargo.2.
The quantity of powder, or of powder and ball or shot, used to load a musket, cannon or other like instrument.3.
An onset; a rushing on an enemy; attack; especially by moving troops with fixed bayonets. But it is used for an onset of cavalry as well as of infantry.4.
An order, injunction, mandate, command.Moses gave Joshua a charge. Numbers 27.
The king gave charge concerning Absalom. 2 Sam. 18.
5.
That which is enjoined, committed, entrusted or delivered to another, implying care, custody, oversight, or duty to be performed by the person entrusted.I gave Hanani charge over Jerusalem. Neh. 7.
Hence the word includes any trust or commission; an office, duty, employment. It is followed by of or over; more generally by of. Hence,
6.
The person or thing committed to anothers custody, care or management; a trust. Thus the people of a parish are called the ministers charge.The starry guardian drove his charge away to some fresh pasture.
7.
Instructions given by a judge to a jury, or by a bishop to his clergy. The word may be used as synonymous with command, direction, exhortation or injunction, but always implies solemnity.8.
Imputation in a bad sense; accusation.Lay not this sin to their charge. Acts 7.
9.
That which constitutes debt, in commercial transactions; an entry of money or the price of goods, on the debit side of an account.10.
Cost; expense; as, the charges of the war are to be borne by the nation.11.
Imposition on land or estate; rent, tax, or whatever constitutes a burden or duty.12.
In military affairs, a signal to attack; as, to sound the charge.13.
The posture of a weapon fitted for an attack or combat.Their armed slaves in charge.
14.
Among farriers, a preparation of the consistence of a thick decoction, or between an ointment and a plaster, used as a remedy for sprains and inflammations.15.
In heraldry, that which is borne upon the color; or the figures represented on the escutcheon, by which the bearers are distinguished from one another.16.
In electrical experiments, a quantity of electrical fluid, communicated to a coated jar, vial or pane of glass.A charge of lead, is thirty-six pigs, each containing six stone, wanting two pounds.