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charge off

B2 neutral separable both
In simple words

To run off quickly somewhere; or (in business) to officially say a debt will never be paid and record it as a loss.

Literal meaning: To charge (rush) off in a direction; or to charge (record) something off the books.

Meanings

1 B1 informal

To leave somewhere suddenly and energetically.

"She grabbed her bag and charged off down the corridor without saying goodbye."

Grammar: inseparable
2 B2 idiomatic formal

In accounting or banking, to classify a debt or bad loan as a loss because it is unlikely to be recovered.

"The bank charged off $2 billion in bad loans during the financial crisis."

Grammar: separable
3 B2 neutral

To assign a cost or expense to a particular account or budget.

"You can charge that hotel bill off to the company's travel account."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

Has two very different uses: (1) informal — to rush or dash off somewhere, (2) formal/financial — to record a debt or asset as a loss on financial accounts. The financial sense is common in banking and accounting. Both senses are in use today.

Commonly used with

debt loan loss account balance expense

Forms

Base
charge off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
charges off
he/she/it
Past simple
charged off
yesterday
Past participle
charged off
have + pp
-ing form
charging off
continuous

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Synonyms

rush off dash off storm off write off write down deduct

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