Jump To:

• charge-off
  charge-off

  noun

  a write-off, especially of a bad loan by a bank.
• charge off
  charge off

  Hurriedly depart, run away, as in After a few minutes, she charged off to the next exhibit . This term alludes to the military meaning of charge , “attack impetuously.” [Early 1500s]

charge-off

American  

[chahrj-awf, -of] / ˈtʃɑrdʒˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Or chargeoff

noun

1. a write-off, especially of a bad loan by a bank.

---

charge off Idioms  

1. Hurriedly depart, run away, as in After a few minutes, she charged off to the next exhibit . This term alludes to the military meaning of charge , “attack impetuously.” [Early 1500s]

2. Also, charge against . Consider or count as an accounting loss or expense, as in I'm charging off this purchase to overhead , or Let's charge the new computer against office supplies . [Late 1800s] Also see write off .

3. Attribute to, blame something for, as in We can charge off these errors to inexperience .

---

Etymology

Origin of charge-off

charge + (write)-off ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

charge-off charge off

In the fourth quarter, major issuers reported steady delinquency and charge-off rates alongside continued growth in card spending and transactions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

Chief Executive Harris Simmons said Monday that results were “marred” by a $50 million charge-off that the company disclosed last week to cover two loans taken out by borrowers facing fraud allegations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025

Zions Bancorp incurred a $50 million charge-off in the third quarter due to legal actions against two borrowers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025

To be sure, that third-quarter total was well above the year-ago net charge-off ratio of 0.48%.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 17, 2025

Zions Bancorp will record following a $50 million charge-off related to legal actions against borrowers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025

Western Alliance said it would charge off $126.4 million on the loan, out of the $337 million initially borrowed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026

Most charge off as if the race is only one lap, rather than the 527 that the eventual winner completes.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024

But AmEx’s charge off rates are roughly half of what its competition like Capital One, Discover and Chase are facing at the moment.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024

The former Ohio State head coach said he also witnessed Brady take charge off the field – something he believes sets him apart from the rest.

From Fox News ● Mar. 30, 2021

“Can I get a charge off your computer BTW?”

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green