Meaning & use
charged with a crime
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Meaning
phrasefixed phraselegallaw
officially accused by the police or a court of having committed a crime.
Grammar: Often used after the verb 'be': He was charged with a crime. Also 'charge someone with a crime'.
Patterns
- be charged with a crime
- charge someone with a crime
- charged with a crime
The man was charged with a crime after the police found stolen goods in his car.
She has not been charged with a crime, so she is free to leave the country.
If you are charged with a crime, you have the right to a lawyer.
Common combinations
- be charged with a crime
- He was charged with a crime last week.
- charge someone with a crime
- The police charged her with a crime after the investigation.
- charged with murder
- The suspect was charged with murder.
- charged with theft
- She was charged with theft from the shop.
Synonyms and how they differ
- accused of a crime
- This is more general and can be used outside official legal settings; 'charged' means the police have formally started a legal process.
- indicted for a crime
- This is mainly American and means a grand jury has formally decided there is enough evidence; 'charged' is the more common everyday term.
Word family
Commonly confused: charged with a crime or convicted of a crime?
charged with a crime vs convicted of a crime
To be convicted means a court has found you guilty. Being charged only means you have been accused, not yet proved guilty.
Practice
The police ______ him with a crime after questioning witnesses.
Choose one answer.
The correct pattern is 'charge someone with a crime'. 'Accused' takes 'of', 'convicted' takes 'of', and 'blamed' takes 'for', so they do not fit the preposition 'with' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “charged with a crime”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.