Meanings
nounpublic charge (plural public charges)
plural public charges
- A person who gets more from welfare programs than they contribute.
Earlier this year, amid the challenge to the public charge rule arising from the Covid-19 virus, Chief Justice John Roberts took the lead against immigrant interests yet mollified liberals poised to dissent publicly, CNN’s Joan Biskupic reported this week.
2020 July 29, Priscilla Alvarez, “Judge blocks administration from implementing ‘public charge’ rule for immigrants during pandemic”, in CNN
Cite this entry
APA
public charge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20charge
MLA
“public charge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20charge. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “public charge,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/public%20charge.
Source: public charge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.