charge-off

American  

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

Or chargeoff

noun

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

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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 .

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Etymology

Origin of charge-off

charge + (write)-off ( def. )

Example Sentences

And it seeks a net charge-off rate of 0.5% to 0.55% through the cycle.

From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025

The Salt Lake City bank said last week that borrowers of two loans were in legal proceedings related to fraud allegations, which prompted it to take the charge-off.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 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

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

AmEx’s net charge-off rate last quarter was 2%, up from 1.2% a year earlier.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 5, 2024