press charges

idiom

: 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.
The father later declined to press charges, and the 18-year-old boyfriend was released. Christopher A. Combs, The Arizona Republic, 18 Feb. 2025 The district attorney later declined to press charges, citing a lack of evidence. Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 17 Feb. 2025 Frontier Airlines declined to press charges at the scene, and police are reaching out to airport officials to see what happened to the man. Megan Forrester, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2025 According to Houston Police, the investigation has been turned over to the FBI and Frontier Airlines have declined to press charges. Graeme Taskerud, The Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for press charges

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Press charges.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/press%20charges. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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!