discharge

verb

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dis·charge | \ dis-ˈchärj

, ˈdis-ˌchärj \

discharged; discharging; discharges

Definition of discharge

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to relieve of a charge, load, or burden:

a : unload discharge a cargo ship

b : to release from an obligation will be discharged from further payment

c electrical engineering : to release electrical energy from (something, such as a battery or capacitor) by a discharge (see discharge entry 2 sense 9b) discharging electricity from a battery

2a : to let or put off discharge passengers discharge cargo

b : shoot discharge an arrow

c : to release from confinement, custody, or care discharge a prisoner discharge a patient

d : to give outlet or vent to : emit discharge emotions vehicles discharging exhaust fumes

3a(1) : to dismiss from employment had to discharge several employees last month

(2) : to release from service or duty discharge a soldier was discharged from the Navy

b : to get rid of (something, such as a debt or obligation) by performing an appropriate action (such as payment) failing to discharge their debts

c law : to set aside or dismiss : annul discharge a court order

d : to order (a legislative committee) to end consideration of a bill (see bill entry 4 sense 6) in order to bring it before the house (see house entry 1 sense 6a) for action

4 : to bear and distribute (something, such as the weight of a wall above an opening)

5 : to bleach out or remove (color or dye) in dyeing and printing textiles

6 : to cancel the record of the loan of (a library book) upon return

intransitive verb

1a : to throw off or deliver a load, charge, or burden

b : to release electrical energy by a discharge (see discharge entry 2 sense 9b) ensure that the electricity discharges safely

2a : go off, fire —used of a gunHis weapon discharged .

b : spread, run some dyes discharge

c : to pour forth fluid or other contents where the river discharges into the ocean

discharge

noun

dis·charge | \ ˈdis-ˌchärj

, dis-ˈchärj \

Definition of discharge (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the act of relieving of something that oppresses : release

b : something that discharges or releases especially : a certification of release or payment produced the discharge as evidence

2 : the state of being discharged or relieved

3 : the act of discharging or unloading her discharge from the hospital

4 law : release from confinement a record of prison discharges

5 : a firing off the discharge of a weapon

6a : a flowing or issuing out a discharge of spores a discharge of mucus also : a rate of flow controlling the discharge of water

b : something that is emitted a purulent discharge a clear discharge from the eyes and nose

7 law : the act of removing an obligation or liability (see liability sense 2) received a full discharge from his creditors

8a : release or dismissal especially from an office or employment suing for wrongful discharge

b : complete separation from military service her discharge from the Navy an honorable discharge

9a physics : the equalization of a difference of electric potential (see potential entry 2 sense 2c) between two points

b energy engineering : the conversion of the chemical energy of a battery into electrical energy

Other Words from discharge Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about discharge

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Choose the Right Synonym for discharge

Verb

perform, execute, discharge, accomplish, achieve, effect, fulfill mean to carry out or into effect. perform implies action that follows established patterns or procedures or fulfills agreed-upon requirements and often connotes special skill. performed gymnastics execute stresses the carrying out of what exists in plan or in intent. executed the hit-and-run discharge implies execution and completion of appointed duties or tasks. discharged his duties accomplish stresses the successful completion of a process rather than the means of carrying it out. accomplished everything they set out to do achieve adds to accomplish the implication of conquered difficulties. achieve greatness effect adds to achieve an emphasis on the inherent force in the agent capable of surmounting obstacles. effected sweeping reforms fulfill implies a complete realization of ends or possibilities. fulfilled their ambitions

Examples of discharge in a Sentence

Verb She's due to be discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. We had to discharge several employees last week. Thousands of soldiers were discharged after the war. The judge discharged the jury. The ship discharged missiles against enemy targets. The gun failed to discharge. Noun The doctors approved her discharge from the hospital. Several former employees are suing the company for wrongful discharge. After his discharge from the military, he went to college to become a teacher. The damage was caused by accidental discharge of a hunting rifle. a rapid discharge from a gun

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Amid a legal battle over the loan forgiveness policy, the department had previously stopped discharging loans, leading to a backlog of more than 200,000 claims. — Washington Post, "DeVos: Defrauded students may only get partial loan relief," 10 Dec. 2019 Only three people have so far been treated and discharged. — Ben Westcott, CNN, "New Zealand volcano eruption: 13 feared dead in White Island disaster," 9 Dec. 2019 Many residents believe that this means there is higher likelihood of dioxins being released when the tear gas is discharged. — Hillary Leung / Hong Kong, Time, "Tear Gas Is Now a Fact of Life in Hong Kong. Residents Are Wondering What It's Doing to Their Health," 6 Dec. 2019 The military in discharging its duty has to be humane. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: In politics, where does the truth lie? (12/1/19)," 1 Dec. 2019 Duckenfield stood trial earlier this year but the jury was discharged after failing to reach a verdict and a retrial was ordered. — Samuel Chamberlain, Fox News, "UK jury clears former police officer in 1989 Hillsborough soccer stadium disaster," 29 Nov. 2019 This treatment increases the likelihood that a patient will enter a recovery program and stick with it, yet the vast majority of patients with opioid addiction are discharged from emergency departments with inadequate or no treatment at all. — Alister Martin, STAT, "Changing emergency doctors’ behaviors to promote wider use of medication for opioid use disorder," 27 Nov. 2019 The patient has since recovered and been discharged. — Manveena Suri, CNN, "Doctors remove giant kidney weighing 16.3 pounds," 26 Nov. 2019 Farca reported to basic training on Aug. 28, 2017 and was discharged less than two months later after allegedly assaulting a fellow trainee. — NBC News, "Colorado man held in plot to bomb synagogue charged with 3 federal counts," 23 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The advocacy group is now questioning what could be done in cases where veterans' tax returns or disability checks were garnished as a result of defaulting on loans eligible for discharge. — Kate Gibson, CBS News, "After scrutiny, U.S. again forgiving student debt for disabled veterans," 22 Nov. 2019 Rapid growth and urbanisation have converted most of the wetlands into dumpyards or sites for discharge of industrial effluents. — Bahar Dutt, Quartz India, "Two Indian cities lead the way in transforming concrete jungles into real jungles," 22 Oct. 2019 Only half of the approximately 50,000 totally and permanently disabled veterans who currently qualify for the discharge of their Federal student loan debt have availed themselves of the benefits provided to them by the Higher Education Act. — Chris Kenning, The Courier-Journal, "Trump signs order to expedite forgiving student loan debt for disabled veterans," 21 Aug. 2019 Adrian Scott, 19, has been charged with felonious assault, having weapons while under disability and prohibited discharge of a weapon, according to Akron Municipal Court records. — Robin Goist, cleveland, "Akron man accused of shooting at 16-year-old boy, police say," 24 Oct. 2019 Scientists found that many microplastics do indeed sink and accumulate on the seafloor, and that the highest concentrations of microparticles were in areas that received large volumes of wastewater and stormwater discharges. — Los Angeles Times, "The biggest likely source of microplastics in California coastal waters? Our car tires," 2 Oct. 2019 Michael Carlin, deputy general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, told The Chronicle that all of the city’s discharges are treated and meet state and federal standards. — Kurtis Alexander, SFChronicle.com, "EPA blasts California, attempting to link SF/LA homelessness and pollution," 26 Sep. 2019 The company, which also has a hazardous waste facility, also exceeded the amount of discharges it was allowed to send into the regional sewer system multiple times and committed other stormwater violations, according to the EPA. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Cleveland chemical distribution company agrees to pay $400,000, make changes to reduce pollution," 12 Sep. 2019 This weekend’s storm was unusual due to the high number of lightning discharges detected in a short span of time. — Robin George Andrews, National Geographic, "Lightning struck near the North Pole 48 times. It's not normal.," 13 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discharge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near discharge

discharge coefficient

discharge lamp

Statistics for discharge

Last Updated

13 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Discharge.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discharger?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=d&file=discha04. Accessed 16 December 2019.

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More Definitions for discharge

discharge

verb

English Language Learners Definition of discharge

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to allow (someone) to leave a hospital, prison, etc.

: to take away the job of (someone) : to end the employment of (someone)

: to end the service of (someone) in a formal or official way : to release (someone) from duty

discharge

noun

English Language Learners Definition of discharge (Entry 2 of 2)

: the release of someone from a hospital, prison, etc.

: the act of firing or dismissing someone from a job

: the act of ending a person's service to the military

See the full definition for discharge in the English Language Learners Dictionary

discharge

verb

dis·charge | \ dis-ˈchärj

discharged; discharging

Kids Definition of discharge

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to allow to leave or get off The patient was discharged from the hospital.

2 : to dismiss from service discharge a worker

3 : to free of a load or burden : unload discharge a ship

4 : shoot entry 1 sense 2 discharge a gun

5 : to cause to shoot out of discharge a bullet

6 : to pour forth fluid or other contents The chimney discharged smoke.

7 : to get rid of by paying or doing discharge a debt He discharged his responsibilities.

discharge

noun

dis·charge | \ ˈdis-ˌchärj

Kids Definition of discharge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the release of someone from a place The doctor approved her discharge from the hospital.

2 : the release from a duty or debt

3 : a certificate of release or payment

4 : the act of firing a person from a job

5 : an end of a person's military service

6 : an act of firing off a gun's discharge

7 : something that flows out The discharge was coming from a pipe.

discharge

verb

dis·charge | \ dis(h)-ˈchärj

, ˈdis(h)-ˌ

discharged; discharging

Medical Definition of discharge

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to release from confinement, custody, or care discharge a patient from the hospital

2a : to give outlet to or emit a boil discharging pus

b : to release or give expression to (a pent-up emotion or a repressed impulse) discharged his anxiety by working out with a punching bag

intransitive verb

: to pour forth fluid or other contents

discharge

noun

dis·charge | \ ˈdis(h)-ˌchärj

, dis(h)-ˈ

Medical Definition of discharge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the act of relieving of something discharge of a repressed impulse

2 : release from confinement, custody, or care returned to work the day after discharge from the hospital

3 : something that is emitted or evacuated a purulent discharge from a wound a thick white vaginal discharge

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discharge

transitive verb

dis·charge | \ dis-ˈchärj, ˈdis-ˌchärj

Legal Definition of discharge

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to release from an obligation: as

a : to relieve of a duty under an instrument (as a contract or a negotiable instrument) also : to render (an instrument) no longer enforceable a formal instrument…may be discharged by either cancellation or surrender — J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo

b : to release (a debtor in bankruptcy) from liability for his or her debts

2 : to release from confinement, custody, or care discharge a prisoner

3a : to dismiss from employment : terminate the employment of

b : to release from service or duty discharge a jury discharge a witness

4a : to get rid of (as a debt or obligation) by performing an appropriate action

b : to fulfill a requirement for evidence which is required to discharge the burden of going forward— W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.

5 : to order (a legislative committee) to end consideration of a bill in order to bring it before the house for action

discharge

noun

dis·charge | \ ˈdis-ˌchärj

Legal Definition of discharge (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : the act of relieving of something that burdens or oppresses : release

b : something that discharges or releases especially : a certification of or a document proving release or payment

2 : the state of being discharged or released a party seeking a total discharge

3 : release from confinement ordering a conditional discharge of the alien on habeas corpus — Harvard Law Review

4 : the act of removing an obligation or liability (as by payment of a debt or performance of a duty)

5a : a dismissal from employment or office

— constructive discharge

: discharge of an employee effected by making the employee's working conditions so intolerable that he or she reasonably feels compelled to resign

— retaliatory discharge

: a wrongful discharge that is done in retaliation for an employee's conduct (as reporting an employer's criminal activity) and that clearly violates public policy

— wrongful discharge

: discharge of an employee for illegal reasons or for reasons that are contrary to public policy (as in retaliation for the employee's refusal to engage in unlawful activity)

b : a release from service or duty

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