press charges

American  

[pres chahr-jiz] / ˈprɛs ˈtʃɑr dʒɪz /

idiom

1. to bring a formal accusation against a person believed to have committed a crime (often used withagainst ).

   The authorities plan to press charges against her for participating in civil disobedience last week.

   He didn't want to press charges, but warned the guy who punched him not to cause any more problems.

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Etymology

Origin of press charges

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

press charges

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has not yet said if it would seek to press charges.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, rightly opened a criminal investigation into the matter and subsequently decided to press charges against five reservists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 1, 2025

And when Maggie decides to press charges against Hank and tell her story to the press, the fallout unsurprisingly does not seem great enough.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2025

Prosecutors later looked at the evidence and refused to press charges.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2025

By then, having consulted her American education, my mother decided it would be cruel to press charges.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• prosecute