public charge

American  

noun

1. a person who is in economic distress and is supported at government expense.

   He assured the American consul that the prospective immigrant would not become a public charge.

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Etymology

Origin of public charge

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The range of electric cars has improved, as has the number of public charge points.

From BBC • Nov. 21, 2025

Here’s how much of the confusion about public charge rules arose, what the rules are now and to whom the rules apply.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2023

You might have seen warnings that there are more than 30 electric car owners "fighting over" every public charge point.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2023

Citizenship and Immigration Services that you are a public charge, according to the DWP.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2023

The people were pleased with this spontaneous action, and made a decree that the animal should be kept at the public charge as long as it lived.

From A Hundred Anecdotes of Animals by Billinghurst, Percy J.