discharge [verb dis-chahrj ; noun dis -chahrj, dis-chahrj ]
Synonyms Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for discharge on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object), dis·charged, dis·charg·ing. to relieve of a charge or load; unload: to discharge a ship. to remove or send forth: They discharged the cargo at New York. to fire or shoot (a firearm or missile): to discharge a gun. to pour forth; emit: to discharge oil; to discharge a stream of invective. to relieve oneself of (an obligation, burden, etc.). to relieve of obligation, responsibility, etc. to fulfill, perform, or execute (a duty, function, etc.). to relieve or deprive of office, employment, etc.; dismiss from service. to release, send away, or allow to go (often followed by from ): The children were discharged early from school. They discharged him from prison. to pay (a debt). Law to release (a defendant, especially one under confinement). to release (a bankrupt) from former debts. to cancel (a contract). to release (bail). (in a legislative body) to order (a committee) to cease further consideration of a bill so that it can be voted on. Electricity to rid (a battery, capacitor, etc.) of a charge of electricity. Dyeing to free from a dye, as by chemical bleaching. Show More
verb (used without object), dis·charged, dis·charg·ing. to get rid of a burden or load. to deliver a charge or load. to pour forth. to go off or fire, as a firearm or missile. to blur or run, as a color or dye. Electricity to lose or give up a charge of electricity. Show More
the act of discharging a ship, load, etc. the act of firing a weapon, as an arrow by drawing and releasing the string of the bow, or a gun by exploding the charge of powder. a sending or coming forth, as of water from a pipe; ejection; emission. the rate or amount of such issue. something sent forth or emitted. a relieving, ridding, or getting rid of something of the nature of a charge. Law an acquittal or exoneration. an annulment, as of a court order. the freeing of one held under legal process. a relieving or being relieved of obligation or liability; fulfillment of an obligation. the payment of a debt. a release or dismissal, as from prison, an office, or employment. a certificate of such a release or a certificate of release from obligation or liability. the act or process of ordering a legislative committee to cease further consideration of a bill so that it can be voted on. Military the separation of a person from military service. a certificate of such separation. Electricity the removal or transference of an electric charge, as by the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy. the equalization of a difference of potential, as between two terminals. Show More
Origin of discharge 1300–50; Middle English deschargen <
Anglo-French descharger, Old French <
Late Latin discarricāre, equivalent to
dis- dis-1 +
carricāre to load; see
charge Related forms dis·charge·a·ble , adjective dis·charg·er , noun non·dis·charg·ing , adjective, noun pre·dis·charge , noun pre·dis·charge , verb (used with object), pre·dis·charged, pre·dis·charg·ing. re·dis·charge , verb, re·dis·charged, re·dis·charg·ing. un·dis·charge·a·ble , adjective un·dis·charged , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words for discharged released ,
fired ,
freed ,
sacked ,
laid-off ,
accomplished ,
canned ,
replaced ,
ousted ,
axed ,
expelled ,
done ,
performed Examples from the Web for discharged Contemporary Examples of discharged It was the very day her father, Solomon, was discharged from the ETU.
Just last week, it was reported that the 44-year-old Hunter was discharged from the Navy after testing positive for cocaine.
The motorcyclist has since been discharged from hospital, while the taxi driver is in a 'stable' condition, the Mail reports.
She is discharged from the hospital and dies three months later in her sleep.
She got better with each passing day and was discharged from the hospital after three weeks, herself a survivor.
Historical Examples of discharged But he may prejudice his father against you, and get you discharged .
If I am discharged I think I can manage to pick up a living somehow.
Captain Johnston had the matter explained, and he discharged the mate.
Next day, the discharged man and the second mate were pressed.
On these grounds he was discharged , and the judge took the umbrella.
British Dictionary definitions for discharged (tr) to release or allow to go the hospital discharged the patient (tr) to dismiss from or relieve of duty, office, employment, etc to fire or be fired, as a gun to pour forth or cause to pour forth the boil discharges pus (tr) to remove (the cargo) from (a boat, etc); unload (tr) to perform (the duties of) or meet (the demands of an office, obligation, etc) he discharged his responsibilities as mayor (tr) to relieve oneself of (a responsibility, debt, etc) (intr) physics to lose or remove electric charge to form an arc, spark, or corona in a gas to take or supply electrical current from a cell or battery (tr) law to release (a prisoner from custody, etc) (tr) to remove dye from (a fabric), as by bleaching (intr) (of a dye or colour) to blur or run (tr) architect to spread (weight) evenly over a supporting member to relieve a member of (excess weight) by distribution of pressure Show More
noun (ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ , dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ ) a person or thing that is discharged dismissal or release from an office, job, institution, etc the document certifying such release the fulfilment of an obligation or release from a responsibility or liability honourable discharge the act of removing a load, as of cargo a pouring forth of a fluid; emission the act of firing a projectile the volley, bullet, missile, etc, fired law a release, as of a person held under legal restraint an annulment, as of a court order physics the act or process of removing or losing charge or of equalizing a potential difference a transient or continuous conduction of electricity through a gas by the formation and movement of electrons and ions in an applied electric field the volume of fluid flowing along a pipe or a channel in unit time the output rate of a plant or piece of machinery, such as a pump Show More
Derived Forms dischargeable , adjective discharger , noun Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for discharged v. early 14c., "to exempt, exonerate, release," from Old French deschargier (12c., Modern French décharger ) "to unload, discharge," from Late Latin discarricare , from dis- "do the opposite of" (see dis- ) + carricare "load" (see charge (v.)).
Meaning "to unload, to free from" is late 14c. Of weapons, from 1550s. The electrical sense is first attested 1748. Meaning "to fulfill, to perform one's duties" is from c.1400. Related: Discharged ; discharging .
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n. late 14c., "relief from misfortune," see discharge (v.). Meaning "release from work or duty" is from early 15c.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
To emit a substance, as by excretion or secretion. To release a patient from custody or care. To generate an electrical impulse. Used of a neuron. Show More
The act of releasing, emitting, or secreting. A substance that is excreted or secreted. The generation of an electrical impulse by a neuron. Show More
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
The conversion of chemical energy to electric energy within a storage battery. A flow of electricity in a dielectric, especially in a rarefied gas. A flowing out or pouring forth, as of a bodily fluid; emission or secretion. A substance or material that is released, emitted, or excreted, especially from the body. Show More
To undergo or cause the release of stored energy or electric charge, as from a battery or capacitor. To release, emit, or excrete a substance, especially from the body. Show More
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
