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discharge Definition

dis·charge (dis c̸härj′; also, & for n., usually dis′c̸härj′)

transitive verb -·charged′, -·charg′·ing

  1. to relieve of or release from something that burdens or confines; specif.,
    1. to remove the cargo of (a ship); unload
    2. to release the charge of (a gun); fire
    3. to release (a soldier, jury, etc.) from duty
    4. to dismiss (a special committee) after it has reported to the legislature of which it is a part
    5. to dismiss from employment
    6. to release (a prisoner) from jail, (a defendant) from suspicion, (a patient) as cured, (a debtor or bankrupt) from obligations, etc.
  2. to release or remove (that by which one is burdened or confined); specif.,
    1. to unload (a cargo)
    2. to shoot (a projectile)
    3. to remove (dye) from cloth
  3. to relieve oneself or itself of (a burden, load, etc.); specif.,
    1. to throw off; send forth; emit to discharge pus
    2. to get rid of; acquit oneself of; pay (a debt) or perform (a duty)
  4. Archit.
    1. to relieve (a wall, etc.) of excess pressure by distribution of weight
    2. to distribute (weight) evenly over a supporting part
  5. ☆ Elec. to remove stored energy from (a battery or capacitor)

Etymology: ME dischargen < OFr descharger < VL *discarricare, to unload < L dis-, from + carrus, wagon, car

intransitive verb

  1. to get rid of a burden, load, etc.
  2. to be released or thrown off
  3. to fire; go off: said of a gun, etc.
  4. to emit waste matter: said of a wound, etc.
  5. to run: said of a dye
  6. to lose or give off a stored electrical charge

noun

  1. a discharging or being discharged
  2. that which discharges, as a legal order for release, a certificate of dismissal from military service, etc.
  3. that which is discharged, as pus from a sore
  4. a flow of electric current across a gap, as in a spark or arc

Etymology: OFr descharge < the v.

discharge Related Forms
dis·charge′·able adjective dis·charg′er noun
discharge Synonyms

discharge

n.

  1. Emission

    exudation, secretion, ooze, outflow; see emanation 1, 2, flow.

  2. Shooting

    detonation, explosion, firing off, report; see explosion 1, gunfire, shooting 1.

  3. Dismissal

    release, ouster, demobilization; see freeing, removal 1.

discharge Synonyms

discharge

v.

  1. To unload

    unpack, release, remove cargo; see empty 1, 2, unload.

  2. To remove

    take off, send, carry or take away; see remove 1.

  3. To emit

    send forth, give off, exude; see emit 1.

  4. To cause to fire

    blast, shoot off, fire; see shoot 1.

  5. To dismiss

    let go, replace, relieve; see dismiss 2.

  6. To release

    emancipate, liberate, let go; see free 1, release.

  7. To perform

    fulfill, execute, accomplish; see achieve 1, perform 1.

  8. To pay a debt

    liquidate, settle, satisfy; see pay 1. See syn. study at free.

discharge Law Definition

n

A debtor’s release from a debt upon payment in full or upon adjudication of bankruptcy; the release of an inmate from prison; the termination of an employee; the act of releasing jurors from any further obligation, upon the giving of a verdict or the settlement or dismissal of the trial in which they serve.
discharge Usage Examples

Object

  • duty: South Thames Regional Branch were very fortunate to have the services of Rae Lee and Wendy Burley who discharged these duties admirably.
  • capacitor: In one scheme, electrical heat is generated by discharging a large capacitor.

Preposition: into

  • watercourse: The BOD is determined by the level of organic matter in the discharge into a watercourse.

Adjective modifier

  • delayed: The chairman of Lothian NHS Board, Brian Cavanagh said there is no simple solution to reducing the problem of delayed discharges.
  • conditional: Mr Ellis was given a conditional discharge by the Judge who ordered him to pay £ 150 costs to Suffolk Coastal.
  • vaginal: A troublesome increase in vaginal discharge may need assessment.
  • radioactive: Catalog of human error led to massive radioactive discharge.
  • nasal: Affected cattle have a fever, rapid breathing and a nasal discharge.
  • effluent: Effluent discharges may be contaminated by antibiotics and disinfectants with unknown consequences for the natural environment.

Adjective complement

  • bankrupt: You have either never been made bankrupt or are considered to be a discharged bankrupt.

Noun used with modifier

  • sewage: The Bathing Water Directive led to a major national program to stop sewage discharges in proximity to bathing areas.
  • hospital: To facilitate early hospital discharge, services to meet assessed needs will not be charged up to the first 4 weeks.

Preposition: of

  • technetium-99: Liquid discharges of technetium-99 from Sellafield have declined by 75 % over the last four years.
  • pus: There'll be reddening, festering and ultimately discharge of pus, caused by the side of the nail growing into the adjoining skin.
  • sewage: Member for Richmond Park referred to discharges of sewage into the Thames.
  • effluent: At the same time, the situation was exacerbated by continuous discharges of industrial effluents and municipal sewage into the country's rivers.

Preposition: from

  • bankruptcy: A new fee has been introduced for a request for a certificate of discharge from bankruptcy.
  • hospital: My wife was discharged from hospital around 2.00 pm.

Preposition: with

  • ignominy: REHABILITATION PERIOD Ten Years SENTENCE A sentence of cashiering, discharge with ignominy or dismissal with disgrace from Her Majesty's service.

Modifies a noun

  • lamp: Sources of such energy include lasers, arc discharge lamps, and tungsten halogen bulbs.
discharge Quotes

   It iswonderful, when a calculation ismade, how littlethe mind is actually employed in the discharge of any profession.

—Johnson, Samuel known as Dr Johnson

There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

—Bible (Old Testament)