Charge vs. Accuse — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 29, 2024
Charge is a formal allegation by authorities, while accuse involves claiming someone has done wrong, not necessarily formally.
Difference Between Charge and Accuse
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Charging and accusing both imply that someone is alleged to have done something wrong, but the context and implications of each differ significantly. When someone is charged, it typically involves a formal legal process where authorities, such as the police or a prosecutor, make an official allegation that a person has committed a specific crime. This is a step in the legal process that can lead to a trial. On the other hand, accusing someone can happen in any context, formal or informal, and does not necessarily lead to legal action. It simply means to claim that someone has done something wrong or is at fault.
The process of being charged usually involves a detailed legal procedure, including the gathering of evidence, an investigation, and the decision by legal authorities to bring a case against someone in a court of law. This step is crucial in the criminal justice system and can significantly impact the accused person's life. In contrast, accusations can be made by anyone, anywhere, and might not be based on substantial evidence. Accusations are often the starting point that can lead to an official investigation or charges, but they do not carry the same legal weight.
While charges are specifically related to criminal activities and are made by legal authorities, accusations can span a wide range of wrongful actions, from personal grievances to professional misconduct, and are not limited to the legal system. For example, one can be accused of dishonesty in a personal relationship or unethical behavior at work without it leading to criminal charges. This distinction highlights the broader application of accusing compared to the more specific and legally bound process of charging.
The consequences of being charged are typically more severe than being merely accused. Being charged with a crime can lead to arrest, a court trial, and potentially a conviction with penalties such as fines or imprisonment. On the other hand, while accusations can damage a person’s reputation and relationships, the consequences are often less tangible and not enforced by law, unless the accusations lead to formal charges.
The terminology also differs in legal contexts; being charged is a step in the criminal justice process, indicating that the legal system is actively pursuing a case against someone. Accusations, however, are not bound by the formalities of legal procedure and can be considered as preliminary allegations that may or may not lead to formal charges. Understanding the distinction between the two can help in navigating legal discussions and the implications of each action.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A formal allegation by authorities that someone has committed a crime.
Claiming someone has done something wrong, not necessarily formally.
Context
Legal, involving the criminal justice system.
Can be legal or non-legal, formal or informal.
Process
Involves a detailed legal procedure leading potentially to a trial.
Does not necessarily involve a legal process.
Consequences
Can lead to arrest, trial, and possible conviction.
Mainly reputational or relational impact, unless it leads to legal charges.
Authority
Made by legal authorities (police, prosecutors).
Can be made by anyone, in any setting.
Compare with Definitions
Charge
To formally accuse someone of a crime by legal authorities.
The individual was charged with theft after evidence was presented.
Accuse
To claim that someone has done something wrong or illegal.
She accused her coworker of stealing her ideas.
Charge
A specific accusation made in a legal context.
The charges included both burglary and assault.
Accuse
To charge with a fault or offense, not necessarily in a legal context.
The author was accused of plagiarism in her latest book.
Charge
A formal statement by authorities alleging a person has committed a specific crime.
The charge of embezzlement was serious, with significant evidence supporting it.
Accuse
Making an allegation without formal charges.
Accusations flew, but no formal investigation was initiated.
Charge
To impose a duty, responsibility, or obligation.
The committee was charged with reviewing the policy changes.
Accuse
A statement blaming someone for something wrong.
The accusation of dishonesty strained their relationship.
Charge
The act of bringing a legal accusation against someone.
Charging him with fraud marked the beginning of a lengthy trial.
Accuse
To blame for a fault or wrong.
He was accused of negligence in the accident.
Charge
Demand (an amount) as a price for a service rendered or goods supplied
He charged me five dollars for the wine
Wedding planners may charge an hourly fee of up to £150
Accuse
Charge (someone) with an offence or crime
He was accused of murdering his wife's lover
Charge
Formally accuse (someone) of something, especially an offence under law
They were charged with assault
Accuse
To charge with a shortcoming or error.
Charge
Entrust (someone) with a task as a duty or responsibility
The committee was charged with reshaping the educational system
Accuse
To charge formally with a wrongdoing.
Charge
Store electrical energy in (a battery or battery-operated device)
The shaver can be charged up and used while travelling
Accuse
To make a charge of wrongdoing against another.
Charge
Rush forward in attack
The plan is to charge headlong at the enemy
Accuse
(transitive) to find fault with, blame, censure
Charge
Place a heraldic bearing on
A pennant argent, charged with a cross gules
Accuse
To charge with having committed a crime or offence
For the U.S. President to be impeached, he must be accused of a high crime or misdemeanor.
Charge
A price asked for goods or services
Our standard charge for a letter is £25
Accuse
(intransitive) to make an accusation against someone
Charge
An accusation, typically one formally made against a prisoner brought to trial
He appeared in court on a charge of attempted murder
Accuse
(obsolete) Accusation.
Charge
Responsibility for the care or control of someone or something
The people in her charge are pupils and not experimental subjects
Accuse
Accusation.
Charge
The property of matter that is responsible for electrical phenomena, existing in a positive or negative form.
Accuse
To charge with, or declare to have committed, a crime or offense
Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
We are accused of having persuaded Austria and Sardinia to lay down their arms.
Charge
A quantity of explosive to be detonated in order to fire a gun or similar weapon
Smaller charges, fired on three minute fuses lit by hand
Accuse
To charge with a fault; to blame; to censure.
Their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another.
Charge
A headlong rush forward, typically in attack
A cavalry charge
Accuse
To betray; to show.
Charge
A device or bearing placed on a shield or crest.
Accuse
Bring an accusation against; level a charge against;
He charged the man with spousal abuse
Charge
To impose a duty, responsibility, or obligation on
Charged him with the task of watching the young swimmers.
Accuse
Blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against;
He charged me director with indifference
Charge
To instruct or urge authoritatively; command
Charged her not to reveal the source of information.
Charge
(Law) To instruct (a jury) about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence.
Charge
To set or ask (a given amount) as a price
Charges ten dollars for a haircut.
Charge
To hold financially liable; demand payment from
Charged her for the balance due.
Charge
To purchase on credit
Paid cash for the stockings but charged the new coat.
Charge
To load to capacity; fill
Charge a furnace with coal.
Charge
To load (a gun or other firearm) with a quantity of explosive
Charged the musket with powder.
Charge
To pervade or fill, as with a feeling or quality
The atmosphere was charged with tension.
Charge
To make a claim of wrongdoing against; accuse or blame
The prosecutors charged him with car theft. Critics charged the writer with a lack of originality.
Charge
To put the blame for; attribute or impute
Charged the accident to the driver's inexperience.
Charge
To rush against in an attack
The troops charged the enemy line.
Charge
(Basketball) To bump or run into (a defender) illegally while in possession of the ball or having just made a pass or shot.
Charge
(Sports) To bump (an opponent) so as to knock off balance or gain control of the ball, as in soccer.
Charge
(Sports) To body-check (an opponent) illegally, from behind or after taking more than two strides, especially in ice hockey.
Charge
To cause formation of a net electric charge on or in (a conductor, for example).
Charge
To energize (a storage battery) by passing current through it in the direction opposite to discharge.
Charge
To excite; rouse
A speaker who knows how to charge up a crowd.
Charge
To direct or put (a weapon) into position for use; level or direct.
Charge
(Heraldry) To place a charge on (an escutcheon).
Charge
To rush forward in an attack
The dog charged at the intruder.
Charge
To rush forward; run
Children charging around the house.
Charge
To demand or ask payment
Did not charge for the second cup of coffee.
Charge
To make a purchase or purchases on credit.
Charge
(Accounting) To consider or record as a loss. Often used with off.
Charge
To become energized
The battery is still charging.
Charge
Expense; cost
Added to the bill a charge for replacing the thermostat.
Charge
The price asked for something
What's the charge for a new tire?.
Charge
A debt or an entry in an account recording a debt
Are you paying cash or is this a charge?.
Charge
A financial burden, such as a tax or lien.
Charge
A weight or burden; a load
A freighter relieved of its charge of cargo.
Charge
The quantity that a container or apparatus can hold.
Charge
A quantity of explosive to be set off at one time.
Charge
An assigned duty or task; a responsibility
The commission's charge was to determine the facts.
Charge
Care; custody
A child put in my charge.
Charge
Supervision; management
The scientist who had overall charge of the research project.
Charge
One that is entrusted to another's care or management
The baby sitter's three young charges.
Charge
An order, command, or injunction.
Charge
Instruction given by a judge to a jury about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence.
Charge
A claim of wrongdoing; an accusation
A charge of murder.
Pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Charge
A rushing, forceful attack
Repelled the charge of enemy troops.
The charge of a herd of elephants.
Charge
The command to attack
The bugler sounded the charge.
Charge
The intrinsic property of matter responsible for all electric phenomena, in particular for the electromagnetic force, occurring in two forms arbitrarily designated negative and positive.
Charge
The net measure of this property possessed by a body or contained in a bounded region of space, measured in coulombs, ampere-hours, or units of elementary charge. Also called electric charge.
Charge
See magnetic charge.
Charge
See color charge.
Charge
(Informal) A feeling of pleasant excitement; a thrill
Got a real charge out of the movie.
Charge
(Heraldry) A figure or device represented on the field of an escutcheon.
Charge
The amount of money levied for a service.
There will be a charge of five dollars.
Charge
(military) A ground attack against a prepared enemy.
Charge
A forceful forward movement.
Charge
An accusation.
Charge
An official description (by the police or a court) of a crime that somebody may be guilty of.
Two charges of manslaughter
Charge
An accusation by a person or organization.
That's a slanderous charge of abuse of trust.
Charge
An electric charge.
Charge
The scope of someone's responsibility.
The child was in the nanny's charge.
Charge
Someone or something entrusted to one's care, such as a child to a babysitter or a student to a teacher.
The child was a charge of the nanny.
Charge
A load or burden; cargo.
The ship had a charge of colonists and their belongings.
Charge
An instruction.
I gave him the charge to get the deal closed by the end of the month.
Charge
(basketball) An offensive foul in which the player with the ball moves into a stationary defender.
Charge
(firearms) A measured amount of powder and/or shot in a cartridge.
Charge
(by extension) A measured amount of explosive.
Charge
(heraldry) An image displayed on an escutcheon.
Charge
(weaponry) A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack.
To bring a weapon to the charge
Charge
(farriery) A sort of plaster or ointment.
Charge
(obsolete) Weight; import; value.
Charge
A measure of thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; a charre.
Charge
(ecclesiastical) An address given at a church service concluding a visitation.
Charge
To assign a duty or responsibility to.
Charge
(transitive) To assign (a debit) to an account.
Let's charge this to marketing.
Charge
(transitive) To pay on account, as by using a credit card.
Can I charge my purchase to my credit card?
Can I charge this purchase?
Charge
(ambitransitive) To require payment (of) (a price or fee, for goods, services, etc.).
To charge high for goods
I won't charge you for the wheat.
Charge
(dated) To sell at a given price.
To charge coal at $5 per unit
Charge
(law) To formally accuse (a person) of a crime.
I'm charging you with assault and battery.
Charge
To impute or ascribe.
Charge
To call to account; to challenge.
Charge
(transitive) To place a burden, load or responsibility on or in.
Charge
To ornament with or cause to bear.
To charge an architectural member with a moulding
Charge
(heraldry) To assume as a bearing.
He charges three roses.
Charge
(heraldry) To add to or represent on.
He charges his shield with three roses or.
Charge
(transitive) To load equipment with material required for its use, as a firearm with powder, a fire hose with water, a chemical reactor with raw materials.
Charge your weapons; we're moving up.
Charge
(transitive) To cause to take on an electric charge.
Rubbing amber with wool will charge it quickly.
Charge
(transitive) To replenish energy to (a battery, or a device containing a battery) by use of an electrical device plugged into a power outlet.
He charged the battery overnight.
Don't forget to charge the drill.
I charge my phone every night.
Charge
To replenish energy.
The battery is still charging: I can't use it yet.
His cell phone charges very quickly, whereas mine takes forever.
Charge
(intransitive) To move forward quickly and forcefully, particularly in combat and/or on horseback.
Charge
To attack by moving forward quickly in a group.
The impetuous corps charged the enemy lines.
Charge
(basketball) To commit a charging foul.
Charge
To take a few steps down the pitch towards the bowler as they deliver the ball, either to disrupt the length of the delivery, or to get into a better position to hit the ball.
Charge
To lie on the belly and be still. A command given by a hunter to a dog
Charge
To lay on or impose, as a load, tax, or burden; to load; to fill.
A carte that charged was with hay.
The charging of children's memories with rules.
Charge
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.
Moses . . . charged you to love the Lord your God.
Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition.
Charge
To lay on, impose, or make subject to or liable for.
When land shall be charged by any lien.
Charge
To fix or demand as a price; as, he charges two dollars a barrel for apples.
Charge
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.
Charge
To impute or ascribe; to lay to one's charge.
No more accuse thy pen, but charge the crimeOn native sloth and negligence of time.
Charge
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.
If he did that wrong you charge him with.
Charge
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.
Their battering cannon charged to the mouths.
Charge
To ornament with or cause to bear; as, to charge an architectural member with a molding.
Charge
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.
Charge
To call to account; to challenge.
To charge me to an answer.
Charge
To bear down upon; to rush upon; to attack.
Charged our main battle's front.
Charge
To make an onset or rush; as, to charge with fixed bayonets.
Like your heroes of antiquity, he charges in iron.
"Charge for the guns!" he said.
Charge
To demand a price; as, to charge high for goods.
Charge
To debit on an account; as, to charge for purchases.
Charge
To squat on its belly and be still; - a command given by a sportsman to a dog.
Charge
A load or burder laid upon a person or thing.
Charge
A person or thing commited or intrusted to the care, custody, or management of another; a trust.
Charge
Custody or care of any person, thing, or place; office; responsibility; oversight; obigation; duty.
'Tis a great charge to come under one body's hand.
Charge
Heed; care; anxiety; trouble.
Charge
Harm.
Charge
An order; a mandate or command; an injunction.
The king gave cherge concerning Absalom.
Charge
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.
Charge
An accusation of a wrong of offense; allegation; indictment; specification of something alleged.
The charge of confounding very different classes of phenomena.
Charge
Whatever constitutes a burden on property, as rents, taxes, lines, etc.; costs; expense incurred; - usually in the plural.
Charge
The price demanded for a thing or service.
Charge
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.
Charge
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
Charge
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.
Never, in any other war afore, gave the Romans a hotter charge upon the enemies.
The charge of the light brigade.
Charge
A position (of a weapon) fitted for attack; as, to bring a weapon to the charge.
Charge
A sort of plaster or ointment.
Charge
Thirty-six pigs of lead, each pig weighing about seventy pounds; - called also charre.
Charge
Weight; import; value.
Many suchlike "as's" of great charge.
Charge
(criminal law) a pleading describing some wrong or offense;
He was arrested on a charge of larceny
Charge
The price charged for some article or service;
The admission charge
Charge
An assertion that someone is guilty of a fault or offence;
The newspaper published charges that Jones was guilty of drunken driving
Charge
Request for payment of a debt;
They submitted their charges at the end of each month
Charge
A impetuous rush toward someone or something;
The wrestler's charge carried him past his adversary
The battle began with a cavalry charge
Charge
The quantity of unbalanced electricity in a body (either positive or negative) and construed as an excess or deficiency of electrons;
The battery needed a fresh charge
Charge
Financial liabilities (such as a tax);
The charges against the estate
Charge
A person committed to your care;
The teacher led her charges across the street
Charge
Attention and management implying responsibility for safety;
He is in the care of a bodyguard
Charge
A special assignment that is given to a person or group;
A confidential mission to London
His charge was deliver a message
Charge
A formal statement of a command or injunction to do something;
The judge's charge to the jury
Charge
A quantity of explosive to be set off at one time;
This cartridge has a powder charge of 50 grains
Charge
The swift release of a store of affective force;
They got a great bang out of it
What a boot!
He got a quick rush from injecting heroin
He does it for kicks
Charge
(psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object;
Freud thought of cathexis as a psychic analog of an electrical charge
Charge
Heraldry consisting of a design or image depicted on a shield
Charge
To make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle;
He saw Jess charging at him with a pitchfork
Charge
Blame for, make a claim of wrongdoing or misbehavior against;
He charged me director with indifference
Charge
Demand payment;
Will I get charged for this service?
We were billed for 4 nights in the hotel, although we stayed only 3 nights
Charge
Move quickly and violently;
The car tore down the street
He came charging into my office
Charge
Assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to;
He was appointed deputy manager
She was charged with supervising the creation of a concordance
Charge
File a formal charge against;
The suspect was charged with murdering his wife
Charge
Make an accusatory claim;
The defense attorney charged that the jurors were biased
Charge
Fill or load to capacity;
Charge the wagon with hay
Charge
Enter a certain amount as a charge;
He charged me $15
Charge
Cause to be admitted; of persons to an institution;
After the second episode, she had to be committed
He was committed to prison
Charge
Give over to another for care or safekeeping;
Consign your baggage
Charge
Pay with a credit card; pay with plastic money; postpone payment by recording a purchase as a debt;
Will you pay cash or charge the purchase?
Charge
Lie down on command, of hunting dogs
Charge
Cause to be agitated, excited, or roused;
The speaker charged up the crowd with his inflammatory remarks
Charge
Place a heraldic bearing on;
Charge all weapons, shields, and banners
Charge
Provide with munition;
He loaded his gun carefully
Charge
Direct into a position for use;
Point a gun
He charged his weapon at me
Charge
Impose a task upon, assign a responsibility to;
He charged her with cleaning up all the files over the weekend
Charge
Instruct (a jury) about the law, its application, and the weighing of evidence
Charge
Instruct or command with authority;
The teacher charged the children to memorize the poem
Charge
Attribute responsibility to;
We blamed the accident on her
The tragedy was charged to her inexperience
Charge
Set or ask for a certain price;
How much do you charge for lunch?
This fellow charges $100 for a massage
Charge
Cause formation of a net electrical charge in or on;
Charge a conductor
Charge
Energize a battery by passing a current through it in the direction opposite to discharge;
I need to charge my car battery
Charge
Saturate;
The room was charged with tension and anxiety
Common Curiosities
What is the difference between being charged and being accused?
Being charged involves a formal legal process and allegations by authorities, whereas being accused can occur informally and without legal procedures.
Can anyone make an accusation?
Yes, accusations can be made by anyone, regardless of their authority or the context.
Are the consequences of being charged more severe than being accused?
Generally, yes, because charges can lead to legal penalties like fines or imprisonment, while accusations may mainly impact reputation or relationships.
How can someone defend against accusations?
Defenses against accusations vary, ranging from providing evidence of innocence to challenging the credibility of the accuser or the accuracy of their claims.
How do public accusations impact legal proceedings?
Public accusations can influence public opinion and potentially the jury pool, but they should not affect the legal standards of evidence and fairness in court.
What role does intent play in accusations and charges?
Intent can be crucial, especially in criminal charges, as it can affect the severity of the charge and the strategy for defense or prosecution.
Can an accusation lead to charges?
Yes, an accusation can be the precursor to an investigation that may result in formal charges if sufficient evidence is found.
Who can charge someone with a crime?
Only legal authorities, such as police or prosecutors, can formally charge someone with a crime.
Is it necessary to have evidence to accuse someone?
While evidence strengthens an accusation, people can and do accuse others without solid evidence, unlike formal charges which require evidence.
What are the legal protections against false charges?
Legal systems typically provide protections such as the presumption of innocence, the right to a defense, and the requirement for proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Is there a time limit for charges to be filed after an accusation?
Yes, statutes of limitations set time limits for charges to be filed for different crimes, which vary by jurisdiction and the nature of the offense.
Can accusations be withdrawn?
Yes, accusers can withdraw their accusations, but this does not automatically stop legal proceedings if charges are already filed.
What happens after someone is charged with a crime?
After being charged, the accused may be arrested, and the case will proceed through the legal system, potentially to trial.
How do cultural perceptions affect responses to accusations and charges?
Cultural perceptions can significantly influence how accusations and charges are viewed, affecting everything from the social consequences to the willingness of authorities to pursue charges.
Can accusations affect someone’s life even if they don’t lead to charges?
Yes, accusations can damage reputations, relationships, and careers, even without formal legal charges.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
