n. [ F. charge, fr. charger to load. See Charge, v. t., and cf. Cargo, Caricature. ] 1. A load or burder laid upon a person or thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person or thing commited or intrusted to the care, custody, or management of another; a trust. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The people of a parish or church are called the charge of the clergyman who is set over them. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Custody or care of any person, thing, or place; office; responsibility; oversight; obigation; duty. [ 1913 Webster ]

'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Heed; care; anxiety; trouble. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Harm. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. An order; a mandate or command; an injunction. [ 1913 Webster ]

The king gave cherge concerning Absalom. 2. Sam. xviii. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. An address (esp. an earnest or impressive address) containing instruction or exhortation; as, the charge of a judge to a jury; the charge of a bishop to his clergy. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. An accusation of a wrong of offense; allegation; indictment; specification of something alleged. [ 1913 Webster ]

The charge of confounding very different classes of phenomena. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Whatever constitutes a burden on property, as rents, taxes, lines, etc.; costs; expense incurred; -- usually in the plural. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. The price demanded for a thing or service. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. An entry or a account of that which is due from one party to another; that which is debited in a business transaction; as, a charge in an account book. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. That quantity, as of ammunition, electricity, ore, fuel, etc., which any apparatus, as a gun, battery, furnace, machine, etc., is intended to receive and fitted to hold, or which is actually in it at one time [ 1913 Webster ]

13. The act of rushing upon, or towards, an enemy; a sudden onset or attack, as of troops, esp. cavalry; hence, the signal for attack; as, to sound the charge. [ 1913 Webster ]

Never, in any other war afore, gave the Romans a hotter charge upon the enemies. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

The charge of the light brigade. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack; as, to bring a weapon to the charge. [ 1913 Webster ]

15. (Far.) A sort of plaster or ointment. [ 1913 Webster ]

16. (Her.) A bearing. See Bearing, n., 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

17. [ Cf. Charre. ] Thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; -- called also charre. [ 1913 Webster ]

18. Weight; import; value. [ 1913 Webster ]

Many suchlike “as's” of great charge. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Back charge. See under Back, a. --
Bursting charge. (a) (Mil.) The charge which bursts a shell, etc. (b) (Mining) A small quantity of fine powder to secure the ignition of a charge of coarse powder in blasting. --
Charge and discharge (Equity Practice), the old mode or form of taking an account before a master in chancery. --
Charge sheet, the paper on which are entered at a police station all arrests and accusations. --
To sound the charge, to give the signal for an attack.

Syn. -- Care; custody; trust; management; office; expense; cost; price; assault; attack; onset; injunction; command; order; mandate; instruction; accusation; indictment. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Charged p. pr. & vb. n. Charging. ] [ OF. chargier, F. charger, fr. LL. carricare, fr. L. carrus wagon. Cf. Cargo, Caricature, Cark, and see Car. ] 1. To lay on or impose, as a load, tax, or burden; to load; to fill. [ 1913 Webster ]

A carte that charged was with hay. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The charging of children's memories with rules. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To lay on or impose, as a task, duty, or trust; to command, instruct, or exhort with authority; to enjoin; to urge earnestly; as, to charge a jury; to charge the clergy of a diocese; to charge an agent. [ 1913 Webster ]

Moses . . . charged you to love the Lord your God. Josh. xxii. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To lay on, impose, or make subject to or liable for. [ 1913 Webster ]

When land shall be charged by any lien. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To fix or demand as a price; as, he charges two dollars a barrel for apples. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To place something to the account of as a debt; to debit, as, to charge one with goods. Also, to enter upon the debit side of an account; as, to charge a sum to one. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To impute or ascribe; to lay to one's charge. [ 1913 Webster ]

No more accuse thy pen, but charge the crime
On native sloth and negligence of time. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To accuse; to make a charge or assertion against (a person or thing); to lay the responsibility (for something said or done) at the door of. [ 1913 Webster ]

If he did that wrong you charge him with. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. To place within or upon any firearm, piece of apparatus or machinery, the quantity it is intended and fitted to hold or bear; to load; to fill; as, to charge a gun; to charge an electrical machine, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Their battering cannon charged to the mouths. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. To ornament with or cause to bear; as, to charge an architectural member with a molding. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Her.) To assume as a bearing; as, he charges three roses or; to add to or represent on; as, he charges his shield with three roses or. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. To call to account; to challenge. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To charge me to an answer. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. To bear down upon; to rush upon; to attack. [ 1913 Webster ]

Charged our main battle's front. Shak.

Syn. -- To intrust; command; exhort; instruct; accuse; impeach; arraign. See Accuse. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To make an onset or rush; as, to charge with fixed bayonets. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like your heroes of antiquity, he charges in iron. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

“Charge for the guns!” he said. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To demand a price; as, to charge high for goods. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To debit on an account; as, to charge for purchases. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To squat on its belly and be still; -- a command given by a sportsman to a dog. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. That may be charged, laid, imposed, or imputes; as, a duty chargeable on iron; a fault chargeable on a man. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Subject to be charge or accused; liable or responsible; as, revenues chargeable with a claim; a man chargeable with murder. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Serving to create expense; costly; burdensome. [ 1913 Webster ]

That we might not be chargeable to any of you. 2. Thess. iii. 8. [ 1913 Webster ]

For the sculptures, which are elegant, were very chargeable. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being chargeable or expensive. [ Obs. ] Whitelocke. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. At great cost; expensively. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. chargeant, fr. charger to load. ] Burdensome; troublesome. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Chargés d'affaires. [ F., “charged with affairs.” ] A diplomatic representative, or minister of an inferior grade, accredited by the government of one state to the minister of foreign affairs of another; also, a substitute, ad interim, for an ambassador or minister plenipotentiary. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Costly; expensive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The fineness of the gold and chargeful fashion. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A schoolhouse. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]