What does chargeable mean?
Chargeable is an adjective describing something that can be, or is liable to be, charged — whether that means an amount billed against an account, a profit subject to taxation, an offence that can be brought before a court, or a device capable of holding an electric charge. Its most frequent modern uses are financial and technical: accountants speak of 'chargeable expenses', UK tax law of 'chargeable gains', and lawyers of a 'chargeable offence'. In consumer electronics, 'chargeable' overlaps with 'rechargeable', though the latter has become the everyday choice for batteries. The word carries a formal, administrative tone and rarely appears in casual conversation except in technical contexts. Derived from the verb 'charge', which entered English from Old French and ultimately from late Latin 'carricare' ('to load'), it preserves that core idea of loading — loading a cost onto someone's account, a legal accusation onto a defendant, or electrical energy into a cell.
Liable to be charged, especially as a cost, fee, tax, or offence.
"All chargeable expenses must be submitted with receipts."
Common in legal and financial registers.
Capable of being charged with electricity; rechargeable.
"The device uses two chargeable lithium-ion cells."
Often interchangeable with 'rechargeable', though the latter is more common in everyday use.
In British tax law, your 'chargeable gains' are literally the profits the government can reach out and charge you for — the word does the accounting before the accountant does.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chargeable
Chargeable derives from the verb 'charge', which came into English from Old French 'chargier', itself from Late Latin 'carricare', meaning 'to load a cart' (from Latin 'carrus', a wheeled vehicle). The adjective formed with the suffix '-able' and was established in English by the Middle English period. Its cognates include 'discharge' (literally 'to unload'), 'surcharge', and 'charger', all built on the same Latin root and preserving the underlying image of loading or burdening.
How chargeable is actually used
Chargeable is chiefly formal or technical, appearing most often in legal, financial, and engineering contexts. In everyday speech about batteries, 'rechargeable' is far more common; 'chargeable' in this sense tends to appear in product specifications rather than casual conversation.
Easily confused with chargeable
Rechargeable refers specifically to something that can have its power restored by charging again, while chargeable is broader and often means liable to be billed or legally chargeable.