"press charges" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "presses charges",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pressing charges",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pressed charges",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pressed charges",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "press charges (third-person singular simple present presses charges, present participle pressing charges, simple past and past participle pressed charges)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Azerbaijani translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Czech translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Thai translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm pressing charges against you for assaulting me.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 August 11, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain (webcomic), Comic 713 - I'm Done:",
          "text": "\"Still, it's not as though women don't commit acts of violence. She herself is a prime example, otherwise we wouldn't even be talking about this. I'm pretty sure you'd be within your right to press charges.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To formally accuse a person of a crime, especially by an ordinary person."
      ],
      "id": "en-press_charges-en-verb-obQ2HZlL",
      "links": [
        [
          "formal",
          "formal"
        ],
        [
          "accuse",
          "accuse"
        ],
        [
          "crime",
          "crime"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
          "word": "complain"
        },
        {
          "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
          "word": "accuse"
        },
        {
          "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
          "word": "file a complaint"
        },
        {
          "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
          "word": "file charges"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "az",
          "lang": "Azerbaijani",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "ittiham irəli sürmək"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "vznést obvinění"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "podat žalobu"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "zahájit soudní řízení"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "aanklagen"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "vervolgen"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "accuser"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "porter plainte"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "feljelent"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "eljárást indít"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "vádat emel"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "wnieść oskarżenie"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "jɛ̂ɛng-kwaam",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "แจ้งความ"
        },
        {
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "dam-nəən-ká-dii",
          "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
          "word": "ดำเนินคดี"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "press charges"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "presses charges",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pressing charges",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pressed charges",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "pressed charges",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "press charges (third-person singular simple present presses charges, present participle pressing charges, simple past and past participle pressed charges)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Requests for review of Italian translations",
        "Terms with Azerbaijani translations",
        "Terms with Czech translations",
        "Terms with Dutch translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with Hungarian translations",
        "Terms with Italian translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Thai translations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I'm pressing charges against you for assaulting me.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015 August 11, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain (webcomic), Comic 713 - I'm Done:",
          "text": "\"Still, it's not as though women don't commit acts of violence. She herself is a prime example, otherwise we wouldn't even be talking about this. I'm pretty sure you'd be within your right to press charges.\"",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To formally accuse a person of a crime, especially by an ordinary person."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "formal",
          "formal"
        ],
        [
          "accuse",
          "accuse"
        ],
        [
          "crime",
          "crime"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
      "word": "complain"
    },
    {
      "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
      "word": "accuse"
    },
    {
      "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
      "word": "file a complaint"
    },
    {
      "sense": "formally accuse of a crime",
      "word": "file charges"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "az",
      "lang": "Azerbaijani",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "ittiham irəli sürmək"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "vznést obvinění"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "podat žalobu"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "zahájit soudní řízení"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "aanklagen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "vervolgen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "accuser"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "porter plainte"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "feljelent"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "eljárást indít"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "vádat emel"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "wnieść oskarżenie"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "jɛ̂ɛng-kwaam",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "แจ้งความ"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "dam-nəən-ká-dii",
      "sense": "to formally accuse a person of a crime",
      "word": "ดำเนินคดี"
    }
  ],
  "word": "press charges"
}