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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dis·charge       (dĭs-chärj')  Pronunciation Key  v.   dis·charged, dis·charg·ing, dis·charg·es v.   tr. To relieve of a burden or of contents; unload. To unload or empty (contents). To release, as from confinement, care, or duty: discharge a patient; discharge a soldier. To let go; empty out: a train discharging commuters. To pour forth; emit: a vent discharging steam. To shoot: discharge a pistol. To acquit completely: discharged the defendant. To set aside; annul: discharge a court order. To apportion (weight) evenly, as over a door. To relieve (a part) of excess weight by distribution of pressure. To release, as from confinement, care, or duty: discharge a patient; discharge a soldier. To let go; empty out: a train discharging commuters. To pour forth; emit: a vent discharging steam. To shoot: discharge a pistol. To acquit completely: discharged the defendant. To set aside; annul: discharge a court order. To apportion (weight) evenly, as over a door. To relieve (a part) of excess weight by distribution of pressure. To remove from office or employment. See Synonyms at dismiss. To perform the obligations or demands of (an office, duty, or task). See Synonyms at perform. To comply with the terms of (a debt or promise, for example). Law To acquit completely: discharged the defendant. To set aside; annul: discharge a court order. To apportion (weight) evenly, as over a door. To relieve (a part) of excess weight by distribution of pressure. To remove (color) from cloth, as by chemical bleaching. Electricity To cause the release of stored energy or electric charge from (a battery, for example). Architecture To apportion (weight) evenly, as over a door. To relieve (a part) of excess weight by distribution of pressure. To clear the record of the loan of (a returned library book). v.   intr. To get rid of a burden, load, or weight. To go off; fire: The musket discharged loudly. To pour forth, emit, or release contents. To become blurred, as a color or dye; run. To undergo the release of stored energy or electric charge. n.   (dĭs'chärj', dĭs-chärj') The act of removing a load or burden. The act of shooting or firing a projectile or weapon. A flowing out or pouring forth; emission; secretion: a discharge of pus. The amount or rate of emission or ejection. Something that is discharged, released, emitted, or excreted: a watery discharge. Fulfillment of the terms of something, such as a debt or promise. Performance, as of an office or duty. Dismissal or release from employment, service, care, or confinement. An official document certifying such release, especially from military service. Release of stored energy in a capacitor by the flow of current between its terminals. Conversion of chemical energy to electric energy in a storage battery. A flow of electricity in a dielectric, especially in a rarefied gas. Elimination of net electric charge from a charged body. The act or an instance of removing an obligation, burden, or responsibility. Fulfillment of the terms of something, such as a debt or promise. Performance, as of an office or duty. Dismissal or release from employment, service, care, or confinement. An official document certifying such release, especially from military service. Release of stored energy in a capacitor by the flow of current between its terminals. Conversion of chemical energy to electric energy in a storage battery. A flow of electricity in a dielectric, especially in a rarefied gas. Elimination of net electric charge from a charged body. Dismissal or release from employment, service, care, or confinement. An official document certifying such release, especially from military service. Release of stored energy in a capacitor by the flow of current between its terminals. Conversion of chemical energy to electric energy in a storage battery. A flow of electricity in a dielectric, especially in a rarefied gas. Elimination of net electric charge from a charged body. Law An annulment or acquittal; dismissal, as of a court order. Electricity Release of stored energy in a capacitor by the flow of current between its terminals. Conversion of chemical energy to electric energy in a storage battery. A flow of electricity in a dielectric, especially in a rarefied gas. Elimination of net electric charge from a charged body. [Middle English dischargen, from Old French deschargier, from Late Latin discarricāre : Latin dis-, dis- + Late Latin carricāre, to load; see charge.] dis·charge'a·ble adj., dis'charg·ee' n., dis·charg'er n.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
discharge 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

discharge
noun
1.	the sudden giving off of energy
2.	the act of venting
3.	a substance that is emitted or released
4.	any of several bodily processes by which substances go out of the body; "the discharge of pus"
5.	electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
6.	the pouring forth of a fluid
7.	the termination of someone's employment (leaving them free to depart) [syn: dismissal]
8.	a formal written statement of relinquishment [syn: release]
9.	the act of discharging a gun
verb
1.	complete or carry out; "discharge one's duties" [syn: dispatch]
2.	pour forth or release; "discharge liquids"
3.	free from obligations or duties [syn: free]
4.	remove the charge from [ant: charge]
5.	go off or discharge; "The gun fired" [syn: fire]
6.	pronounce not guilty of criminal charges; "The suspect was cleared of the murder charges" [syn: acquit] [ant: convict]
7.	eliminate (a substance); "combustion products are exhausted in the engine"; "the plant releases a gas" [syn: exhaust]
8.	leave or unload; "unload the cargo"; "drop off the passengers at the hotel" [syn: drop]
9.	cause to go off; "fire a gun"; "fire a bullet" [syn: fire]
10.	release from military service [ant: draft]
11.	become empty or void of its content; "The room emptied" [syn: empty] [ant: fill]

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

discharge       (dĭs-chärj')  Pronunciation Key  Noun   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. Verb   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.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

discharge dis·charge (dĭs-chärj')
v. dis·charged, dis·charg·ing, dis·charg·es

1. To emit a substance, as by excretion or secretion.
2. To release a patient from custody or care.
3. To generate an electrical impulse. Used of a neuron.

n. (dĭs'chärj', dĭs-chärj')

1. The act of releasing, emitting, or secreting.
2. A substance that is excreted or secreted.
3. The generation of an electrical impulse by a neuron.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ¹dis·charge
Pronunciation: dis(h)-'chärj, 'dis(h)-"
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: dis·charged;dis·charg·ing
transitive senses
1 : to release from confinement, custody, or care <discharge a patient from the hospital>
2a : to give outlet to or emit discharging pus> b : to release or give expression to (a pent-up emotion or a repressed impulse) <dischargedhis anxiety by working out with a punching bag> discharge intransitive senses
: to pour forth fluid or other contents

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ²dis·charge
Pronunciation: 'dis(h)-"chärj, dis(h)-'
Function: noun
1 : the act of relieving of something<discharge of a repressed impulse>
2 : release from confinement, custody, or care discharge from the hospital>
3 : something that is emitted or evacuated discharge from a wound> discharge>

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: dis·charge
Pronunciation: dis-'chärj, 'dis-"chärj
Function: transitive verb
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 bedischarged 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>
3 a : to dismiss from employment : terminate the employment of b : torelease from service or duty <discharge a jury> <discharge a witness>
4 a : to get rid of (as a debt or obligation) by performing an appropriate actionb : to fulfill a requirement for <evidence which is required to discharge the burden of going forward —W. Railroad LaFave and A. W. Scott, Junior>
5 :to order (a legislative committee) to end consideration of a bill in order to bring it before the house for action —dis·charge·abil·i·ty/dis-"chär-j&-'bi-l&-tE/ noun —dis·charge·able /dis-'chär-j&-b&l/ adjective

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: dis·charge
Pronunciation: dis-'chärj, 'dis-"chärj
Function: transitive verb
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 bedischarged 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>
3 a : to dismiss from employment : terminate the employment of b : torelease from service or duty <discharge a jury> <discharge a witness>
4 a : to get rid of (as a debt or obligation) by performing an appropriate actionb : to fulfill a requirement for <evidence which is required to discharge the burden of going forward —W. Railroad LaFave and A. W. Scott, Junior>
5 :to order (a legislative committee) to end consideration of a bill in order to bring it before the house for action —dis·charge·abil·i·ty/dis-"chär-j&-'bi-l&-tE/ noun —dis·charge·able /dis-'chär-j&-b&l/ adjective

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: dis·charge
Pronunciation: 'dis-"chärj
Function: noun
1 a : the act of relieving of something that burdens or oppresses : RELEASE b : something that discharges or releases; especially : a certification of or a document provingrelease or payment
2 : the state of being discharged or released <a party seeking a total discharge>
3 : release from confinement <ordering aconditional 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 orperformance of a duty)
5 a : a dismissal from employment or office

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

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

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wrongful discharge
: discharge of an employee for illegal reasons or for reasons that arecontrary to public policy (as in retaliation for the employee's refusal to engage in unlawful activity) b : a release from service or duty

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: dis·charge
Pronunciation: 'dis-"chärj
Function: noun
1 a : the act of relieving of something that burdens or oppresses : RELEASE b : something that discharges or releases; especially : a certification of or a document provingrelease or payment
2 : the state of being discharged or released <a party seeking a total discharge>
3 : release from confinement <ordering aconditional 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 orperformance of a duty)
5 a : a dismissal from employment or office

---

constructive discharge
: discharge of an employee effected by making the employee's workingconditions 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 (asreporting an employer's criminal activity) and that clearly violates public policy

---

wrongful discharge
: discharge of an employee for illegal reasons or for reasons that arecontrary to public policy (as in retaliation for the employee's refusal to engage in unlawful activity) b : a release from service or duty

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Discharge

De*liv"er\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Delivered; p. pr. & vb. n. Delivering.] [F. d['e]livrer, LL. deliberare to liberate, give over, fr. L. de + liberare to set free. See Liberate.]

1. To set free from restraint; to set at liberty; to release; to liberate, as from control; to give up; to free; to save; to rescue from evil actual or feared; -- often with from or out of; as, to deliver one from captivity, or from fear of death.

He that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. --Ezek. xxxiii. 5.

Promise was that I Should Israel from Philistian yoke deliver. --Milton.

2. To give or transfer; to yield possession or control of; to part with (to); to make over; to commit; to surrender; to resign; -- often with up or over, to or into.

Thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand. --Gen. xl. 13.

The constables have delivered her over. --Shak.

The exalted mind All sense of woe delivers to the wind. --Pope.

3. To make over to the knowledge of another; to communicate; to utter; to speak; to impart.

Till he these words to him deliver might. --Spenser.

Whereof the former delivers the precepts of the art, and the latter the perfection. --Bacon.

4. To give forth in action or exercise; to discharge; as, to deliver a blow; to deliver a broadside, or a ball.

Shaking his head and delivering some show of tears. --Sidney.

An uninstructed bowler . . . thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straightforward upon it. --Sir W. Scott.

5. To free from, or disburden of, young; to relieve of a child in childbirth; to bring forth; -- often with of.

She was delivered safe and soon. --Gower.

Tully was long ere he could be delivered of a few verses, and those poor ones. --Peacham.

6. To discover; to show. [Poetic]

I 'll deliver Myself your loyal servant. --Shak.

7. To deliberate. [Obs.] --Chaucer.

8. To admit; to allow to pass. [Obs.] --Bacon.

Syn: To Deliver, Give Forth, Discharge, Liberate, Pronounce, Utter.

Usage: Deliver denotes, literally, to set free. Hence the term is extensively applied to cases where a thing is made to pass from a confined state to one of greater freedom or openness. Hence it may, in certain connections, be used as synonymous with any or all of the above-mentioned words, as will be seen from the following examples: One who delivers a package gives it forth; one who delivers a cargo discharges it; one who delivers a captive liberates him; one who delivers a message or a discourse utters or pronounces it; when soldiers deliver their fire, they set it free or give it forth.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Discharge

Dis*charge"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Discharged; p. pr. & vb. n. Discharging.] [OE. deschargen, dischargen, OF. deschargier, F. d['e]charger; pref. des- (L. dis) + chargier, F. charger. See Charge.]

1. To relieve of a charge, load, or burden; to empty of a load or cargo; to unburden; to unload; as, to discharge a vessel.

2. To free of the missile with which anything is charged or loaded; to let go the charge of; as, to discharge a bow, catapult, etc.; especially, said of firearms, -- to fire off; to shoot off; also, to relieve from a state of tension, as a Leyden jar.

The galleys also did oftentimes, out of their prows, discharge their great pieces against the city. --Knolles.

Feeling in other cases discharges itself in indirect muscular actions. --H. Spencer.

3. To of something weighing upon or impeding over one, as a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to clear.

Discharged of business, void of strife. --Dryden.

In one man's fault discharge another man of his duty. --L'Estrange.

4. To relieve of an office or employment; to send away from service; to dismiss.

Discharge the common sort With pay and thanks. --Shak.

Grindal . . . was discharged the government of his see. --Milton.

5. To release legally from confinement; to set at liberty; as, to discharge a prisoner.

6. To put forth, or remove, as a charge or burden; to take out, as that with which anything is loaded or filled; as, to discharge a cargo.

7. To let fly, as a missile; to shoot.

They do discharge their shot of courtesy. --Shak.

8. To set aside; to annul; to dismiss.

We say such an order was "discharged on appeal." --Mozley & W.

The order for Daly's attendance was discharged. --Macaulay.

9. To throw off the obligation of, as a duty or debt; to relieve one's self of, by fulfilling conditions, performing duty, trust, and the like; hence, to perform or execute, as an office, or part.

Had I a hundred tongues, a wit so large As could their hundred offices discharge. --Dryden.

10. To send away (a creditor) satisfied by payment; to pay one's debt or obligation to. [Obs.]

If he had The present money to discharge the Jew. --Shak.

11. To give forth; to emit or send out; as, a pipe discharges water; to let fly; to give expression to; to utter; as, to discharge a horrible oath.

12. To prohibit; to forbid. [Scot. Obs.] --Sir W. Scott.

Discharging arch (Arch.), an arch over a door, window, or other opening, to distribute the pressure of the wall above. See Illust. of Lintel.

Discharging piece, Discharging strut (Arch.), a piece set to carry thrust or weight to a solid point of support.

Discharging rod (Elec.), a bent wire, with knobs at both ends, and insulated by a glass handle. It is employed for discharging a Leyden jar or an electrical battery. See Discharger.

Syn: See Deliver.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Discharge

Dis*charge"\, v. i. To throw off or deliver a load, charge, or burden; to unload; to emit or give vent to fluid or other contents; as, the water pipe discharges freely.

The cloud, if it were oily or fatty, would not discharge. --Bacon.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Discharge

Dis*charge"\, n. [Cf. F. d['e]charge. See Discharge, v. t.]

1. The act of discharging; the act of relieving of a charge or load; removal of a load or burden; unloading; as, the discharge of a ship; discharge of a cargo.

2. Firing off; explosive removal of a charge; explosion; letting off; as, a discharge of arrows, of artillery.

3. Act of relieving of something which oppresses or weighs upon one, as an obligation, liability, debt, accusation, etc.; acquittance; as, the discharge of a debtor.

4. Act of removing, or getting rid of, an obligation, liability, etc.; fulfillment, as by the payment of a debt, or the performance of a trust or duty.

Indefatigable in the discharge of business. --Motley.

Nothing can absolve us from the discharge of those duties. --L'Estrange.

5. Release or dismissal from an office, employment, etc.; dismission; as, the discharge of a workman by his employer.

6. Legal release from confinement; liberation; as, the discharge of a prisoner.

7. The state of being discharged or relieved of a debt, obligation, office, and the like; acquittal.

Too secure of our discharge From penalty. --Milton.

8. That which discharges or releases from an obligation, liability, penalty, etc., as a price of ransom, a legal document.

Death, who sets all free, Hath paid his ransom now and full discharge. --Milton.

9. A flowing or issuing out; emission; vent; evacuation; also, that which is discharged or emitted; as, a rapid discharge of water from the pipe.

The hemorrhage being stopped, the next occurrence is a thin serous discharge. --S. Sharp.

Charge and discharge. (Equity Practice) See under Charge, n.

Paralytic discharge (Physiol.), the increased secretion from a gland resulting from the cutting of all of its nerves.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Discharge

Dis*charge"\, n. [Cf. F. d['e]charge. See Discharge, v. t.]

1. The act of discharging; the act of relieving of a charge or load; removal of a load or burden; unloading; as, the discharge of a ship; discharge of a cargo.

2. Firing off; explosive removal of a charge; explosion; letting off; as, a discharge of arrows, of artillery.

3. Act of relieving of something which oppresses or weighs upon one, as an obligation, liability, debt, accusation, etc.; acquittance; as, the discharge of a debtor.

4. Act of removing, or getting rid of, an obligation, liability, etc.; fulfillment, as by the payment of a debt, or the performance of a trust or duty.

Indefatigable in the discharge of business. --Motley.

Nothing can absolve us from the discharge of those duties. --L'Estrange.

5. Release or dismissal from an office, employment, etc.; dismission; as, the discharge of a workman by his employer.

6. Legal release from confinement; liberation; as, the discharge of a prisoner.

7. The state of being discharged or relieved of a debt, obligation, office, and the like; acquittal.

Too secure of our discharge From penalty. --Milton.

8. That which discharges or releases from an obligation, liability, penalty, etc., as a price of ransom, a legal document.

Death, who sets all free, Hath paid his ransom now and full discharge. --Milton.

9. A flowing or issuing out; emission; vent; evacuation; also, that which is discharged or emitted; as, a rapid discharge of water from the pipe.

The hemorrhage being stopped, the next occurrence is a thin serous discharge. --S. Sharp.

Charge and discharge. (Equity Practice) See under Charge, n.

Paralytic discharge (Physiol.), the increased secretion from a gland resulting from the cutting of all of its nerves.

On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

discharge

discharge: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary