press charges

[pres chahr-jiz]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of press charges¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

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

And it remains to be seen whether the authorities will press charges or whether moves will be made to extradite the men - who may be deemed a flight risk - back to Scotland.

From BBC

A local judge declined to press charges, before a federal judge permitted assault charges to be filed, CBS reports.

From BBC

Prosecutors declined to press charges against Spindler.

From Los Angeles Times

Believing he was remorseful, Sharon decided not to press charges.

From BBC

Related Words

• prosecute