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charge-off
charge-offnouna write-off, especially of a bad loan by a bank.
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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
Americannoun
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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]
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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 .
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Attribute to, blame something for, as in We can charge off these errors to inexperience .
Etymology
Origin of charge-off
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To put the charge-off figures in perspective, the bank’s loan-loss reserves covered 1.09% of total loans and leases as of March 31.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
And it seeks a net charge-off rate of 0.5% to 0.55% through the cycle.
From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025
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
“When you see one cockroach, there are probably more,” JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said Tuesday after his bank reported a $170 million charge-off related to Tricolor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
Zions Bancorp will record following a $50 million charge-off related to legal actions against borrowers.
From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.