drop-off charge
- noun
- /ˈdrɒpˌɔf tʃɑrdʒ/
- Many travelers avoid companies with high drop-off charges to save money on their car rental.
Examples
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The rental agreement clearly stated that there would be a drop-off charge for returning the vehicle at the airport.
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I believe Janis J mentioned some rental agency that allows overseas visitors to rent cars without the horrendous drop-off charges.
Blog text (9) -
When renting a car, be sure to check for any drop-off charge if you plan to return it to a different location.
How Expensive
Surface Forms
Morphology
drop-off + charge
The compound is directly built from 'drop-off' (derived from the phrasal verb 'drop off' = to leave/return something at a place) and 'charge' (a fee), so a learner who knows these constituents can readily infer it means a fee for dropping something off at a different location. This compositional pattern (action/place + charge/fee) is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making the meaning predictable to B1 learners.
Etymology
Drop-off charge comes from the simple image of drop-off, meaning to leave something at a place, and charge, meaning a 'fee'. So when you return a rented car to a different office, the company may add this 'charge' to cover the extra work of moving the vehicle, which is why the phrase means a fee for returning the car to a different place.