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• charge-off
  charge-off

  noun

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

  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]

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

See Examples For:

charge-off charge off

Seasonally adjusted consumer credit-card charge-off rates for banks of about 3.8% as of the first quarter of 2026 are still below the roughly 4.3% average since 1985, according to Fed data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

To put the charge-off figures in perspective, the bank’s loan-loss reserves covered 1.09% of total loans and leases as of March 31.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 15, 2026

Western Alliance said Friday it recorded a charge-off for the full remaining balance of the loan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025

Zions Bancorp will record following a $50 million charge-off related to legal actions against borrowers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025

Most charge off as if the race is only one lap, rather than the 527 that the eventual winner completes.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2024

Payne led the charge off the bench while shooting 9 of 14 with four 3-pointers.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021

The former Ohio State head coach said he also witnessed Brady take charge off the field – something he believes sets him apart from the rest.

From Fox News ● Mar. 30, 2021

"It's not to say that each one of these is a bad policy or a bad idea, but you can't just charge off."

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2010

“Can I get a charge off your computer BTW?”

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green