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Glite Dictionary
charge per unit

charge per unit

3.4
The cost for each item or unit used
  • noun
translation icon : costo por unidad
  • Vendor revenues are determined by the price they decide to charge per unit times the number of units purchased by the buyers.

Examples

  • Business would pay a charge per unit of contaminant discharged.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The company implemented a new charge per unit for electricity to encourage energy conservation.

  • Customers were surprised by the high charge per unit for their water usage during the dry season.

  • The charge per unit for shipping varies based on the weight and size of the package.

Synonyms

rate
vscharge per unit
∞ 2.1

The price charged for something often per hour or unit

is a specific fee applied to each individual item rather than a general standard

Antonyms

free
∞ 1.0

Not costing any money

How Expensive

high-interest
12 4.2
overcharge
4 4.6
charge per unit
3.4
small fee
9 1.0

Surface Forms

charge per unit singular
charges per unit plural

Morphology

charge + per + unit

The meaning 'cost or fee for each individual item' follows directly from combining 'charge' (a fee) + 'per' (for each) + 'unit' (an individual item), so the overall sense is compositional and predictable. This is a standard rate-expression pattern common across languages and in English usage, making it immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Charge per unit is like a shop price for one item: the charge is the money you pay and the unit is a single item, for example one apple or one kilowatt hour. So it means the 'cost or fee for each item or measure'.