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Synonyms

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.

Etymology

Origin of press charges

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

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

Michael, who is 58 from Birmingham, says he went to hospital where he was x-rayed and given a tetanus injection, and though he reported it to police he decided not to press charges.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 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

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

From BBC • Jul. 22, 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

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.