press charges

[ pres chahr-jiz ]

idiom

1. to bring a formal accusation against a person believed to have committed a crime (often used with against ):

   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

The Army kept mum about the incident, and the employee, probably correctly fearing retaliation and harassment, declined to press charges.

From Salon

The school informed Cheshire Police, but the girl and her family declined to press charges.

From BBC

She declined to press charges.

From Los Angeles Times

The employee in question has decided not to press charges against the Trump campaign for fear of retaliation and harassment.

From Salon

Estimates of the haul — only estimates, because all but a few guests were loath to talk or press charges — inched up to around a million dollars, a conveniently round, impressive number suitable for a miniseries subtitle.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• prosecute