press charges

phrase

: to take legal action against someone : to officially accuse someone of a crime
He was caught shoplifting, but the store owner didn't press charges.

Examples of press charges in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the end, the Kindergarten Cop star decided not to press charges against the man who kicked him. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026 Records show police responded to multiple allegations of domestic violence against him through 2017, but the victims all declined to press charges. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026 Landon declined to press charges but asked deputies to document the event in case another confrontation occurred. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 8 Apr. 2026 In October 2024, the hopes of Fares and Simon that Rutledge would soon be prosecuted were temporarily dashed when Shugrue announced his office could not press charges against the teacher. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for press charges

Rhymes for press charges

See All Rhymes for press charges

Browse Nearby Words

press cake
press charges
press clipping
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Press charges.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/press%20charges. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All