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
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Of the 11 complaints the agency referred to prosecutors, three stem from a single situation related to potential campaign misconduct in the June primary; in that case, a county prosecutor declined to press charges and returned the matter to the commission. Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2025 After an investigation at the time, authorities did not charge the actor and Jolie declined to press charges. Luke Chinman, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025 The Denver District Attorney’s Office referred the case to the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office in December 2022, and prosecutors there declined to press charges against Choi. Shelly Bradbury, The Denver Post, 3 Jan. 2025 Ukrainian authorities prefer not to press charges against soldiers who abandon their posts, only doing so if the fighters do not return, three Ukrainian military officers and a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation law enforcement agency told the AP. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for press charges 

Dictionary Entries Near press charges

Cite this Entry

“Press charges.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/press%20charges. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

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