"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 entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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 entries with language name categories using raw markup",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Requests for review of Italian 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": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "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"
}