discharge

USdis-CHARJ/dɪsˈtʃɑɹdʒ/dis-CHAHJ/dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ/

31 meanings of discharge

1
verbtransitive
To let a patient leave the hospital after treatment.
Like being told you can finally go home once you're better.
The doctors will discharge her tomorrow if her fever goes down.
They discharged him from the hospital after a week.
Similarrelease
Oppositeadmit
Note
2
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of pushing something out or letting it go.
The factory stopped the discharge of dirty water into the river.
After the storm, workers opened the dam for a big discharge of water.
Similarrelease, emission, ejection, outflow
Oppositeintake
Note
3
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The moment when a patient is allowed to leave the hospital.
Like getting permission to leave once you're well again.
Her discharge from the hospital was delayed by one day.
After discharge, he felt much stronger.
Similarrelease
Oppositeadmission
Note
4
verbtransitive
To officially let someone leave the army, navy, or other armed forces.
Like a job letting a worker go for good.
The army will discharge him next month.
They discharged her after four years of service.
Similarrelease
Oppositeenlist, recruit, conscript
Note
5
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of officially letting someone leave the armed forces.
Like being formally let go from a job, only from the military.
His discharge from the army came as a surprise.
She received her discharge after six years.
Similarrelease, demobilization
Oppositeenlistment, induction
Note
6
verbtransitive
To make someone leave their job or position.
Like a coach taking a player off the team for good.
The company decided to discharge several workers.
He was discharged for arriving late too often.
Similarfire, dismiss, sack, terminate, remove
Oppositehire, employ, appoint, engage
7
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
noununcountable
Fluid like pus or mucus that comes out of a wound or body opening, often because of illness.
Like sap leaking from a damaged tree.
The nurse noticed some discharge around the wound.
Yellow discharge can be a sign of infection.
Similarsecretion, drainage, ooze
Note
8
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The stuff that flows or comes out of something.
Like the water pouring out the end of a hose.
The factory pipe sent discharge into the river.
They tested the discharge for harmful chemicals.
Similareffluent, outflow, emission, waste
Note
9
verbtransitive
To send something out or let it flow out.
Like a sponge letting out water when you squeeze it.
Volcanoes discharge ash and gas during an eruption.
The pipe discharged dirty water into the stream.
Similaremit, release, belch, spew, exude
Oppositeabsorb
10
verbtransitive
To push something out or let it go.
Like blowing air out of your mouth.
The machine can discharge waste through a side vent.
Fire extinguishers discharge foam to put out flames.
Similarrelease, emit, expel, secrete, vent
Oppositeabsorb, retain

11
verbtransitive
To fire a weapon that shoots something, like a gun or sling.
Like pressing a trigger to make a toy launch a ball.
He did not discharge the gun by accident.
Local rules forbid you to discharge a slingshot in the park.
Similarfire, shoot
12
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The firing of a gun or other weapon.
Like the loud bang when a firework goes off.
The discharge of the gun echoed across the valley.
A sudden discharge startled the horses.
Similarfiring
Note
13
verbtransitive
To free someone from a debt, duty, or blame.
Like wiping a slate clean so nothing is owed.
The court can discharge him from the debt.
The judge discharged the accused man.
Similarrelease, free, absolve, clear, acquit
Oppositeconvict, charge
Note
14
verbtransitive
To carry out a duty or finish what you must do.
Like finishing all the chores you were given.
She works hard to discharge her duties each day.
He discharged his promise to help them move.
Similarfulfill, perform, execute, meet, honor
Oppositeneglect, shirk
15
verbtransitive
To let someone go free from prison or from being held.
Like opening a cage to let a bird fly free.
The court may discharge the prisoner early for good behavior.
They discharged the detainees after the charges were dropped.
Similarrelease, free, liberate
Oppositedetain, imprison, confine, jail
16
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The release of stored electricity all at once.
Like all the water in a full bucket pouring out at once.
The discharge of the battery happened faster than expected.
A static discharge gave her a small shock.
Similarrelease
Note
17
verbtransitive or intransitive
To let stored electricity flow out of something until none is left.
Like letting all the air rush out of a balloon at once.
If you touch the wire, the battery may discharge all at once.
Capacitors can discharge quickly and give a painful shock.
Similarrelease, drain, dissipate
Oppositecharge
Note
18
verbtransitive
To take goods or people off a ship, truck, or other vehicle.
Like emptying a shopping bag once you get home.
Workers began to discharge the cargo as soon as the ship docked.
The ferry will discharge its passengers at the next port.
Similarunload, offload
Oppositeload, embark
Note
19
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of carrying out a duty you were given, or paying back what you owe.
Like checking off the very last item on your to-do list.
The discharge of his duties took many long hours each week.
She was praised for the careful discharge of her promises.
Similarfulfillment, performance, execution, settlement, repayment
Oppositeneglect, default, dereliction
Note
20
verbtransitive
To take out or push out the load that fills something.
Like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.
The pump can discharge water from the flooded basement.
Open the valve to discharge the air from the tank.
Similarunload, empty, release, dump, vent
Oppositeload, fill
21
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of liquid or gas flowing out of a place.
Like water pouring out of an open faucet.
The discharge from the pipe ran straight into the river.
Doctors checked the discharge coming from the wound.
Similareffluence
Oppositeinflow, intake
22
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of taking the load off something.
Like taking heavy bags off your shoulders.
The discharge of the cargo took all morning.
Workers carefully managed the discharge of the heavy crates.
Similarunloading
Oppositeloading
23
verbtransitive
To fire a gun, or send a missile flying out.
Like letting an arrow fly from a bow.
He did not mean to discharge the rifle indoors.
The soldier discharged his weapon into the air.
Similarfire, shoot, launch
24
verbtransitive
To let out strong words or feelings all at once.
Like letting out a deep breath you've held too long.
She discharged her anger in a long, loud speech.
He needed to discharge his worries to a close friend.
Similarvent, express, voice, air, unleash
Oppositesuppress, repress, stifle
25
verbtransitive
To pay back what you owe in full so the lender is satisfied.
Like handing over the last coin you owe a friend.
He worked two jobs to discharge his loan within a year.
She discharged every debt before leaving the country.
Similarsettle, pay, repay, satisfy, clear
Note
26
USDIS-charj/ˈdɪstʃɑɹdʒ/UKDIS-chahj/ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ/
nouncountable or uncountable
The amount of water a river carries past a point in a set amount of time.
Like measuring how much water flows under a bridge each second.
The river's discharge rises sharply after heavy rain.
Engineers measured the discharge at the old bridge.
Similarflow, streamflow
Note
27
verbtransitive
To cancel or end something, such as an order or a rule.
Like erasing a rule from the board so it no longer counts.
The judge agreed to discharge the order.
The court discharged the earlier ruling.
Similarquash, lift, annul, dismiss, revoke
Oppositeuphold, grant
28
verbobsoleteScotland
To forbid something, or order someone not to do it.
Note
29
noun
An official act that frees someone from blame after they have served in a trusted job.
30
verb
To drop a temporary assumption from a logical argument and go back to the main one.
31
verb
To remove or bleach the color out of cloth using chemicals.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Old French deschargier, meaning "to unload." This came from Late Latin discarricare, also meaning "unload."