English Dictionary | Thesaurus | Translator | COBUILD Grammar Patterns | Scrabble | Blog
  • American
  • This page in
    English
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
| Sign Up | Log In
 
English
Menu
English Dictionary Thesaurus Translator Grammar Scrabble Blog
  • American
  • This page in
    English
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
Sign Up Log In

Definition of 'discharge'

Word Frequency

discharge

Word forms: discharges, discharging, dischargedpronunciation note:   The verb is pronounced (dɪstʃɑrdʒ ). The noun is pronounced (dɪstʃɑrdʒ ).
1. transitive verb
When someone is discharged from a hospital, prison, or one of the armed services, they are officially allowed to leave, or told that they must leave.
He has a broken nose but may be discharged today.
2. transitive verb
If someone discharges their duties or responsibilities, they do everything that needs to be done in order to complete them.
[formal]
...the quiet competence with which he discharged his many duties.
3. transitive verb
If something is discharged from inside a place, it comes out.
[formal]
The resulting salty water will be discharged at sea.
4. variable noun
When there is a discharge of a substance, the substance comes out from inside somewhere.
[formal]
They develop a fever and a watery discharge from their eyes.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Video: pronunciation of 'discharge'

Word Frequency

discharge in American

(dɪsˈtʃɑrdʒ ; dischärjˈ; also, & for n., usually ˈdɪsˌtʃɑrdʒ ; disˈchärjˌ)
verb transitiveWord forms: disˈcharged or disˈcharging
1. 
to relieve of or release from something that burdens or confines
; specif.,
a. 
to remove the cargo of (a ship); unload
b. 
to release the charge of (a gun); fire
c. 
to release (a soldier, jury, etc.) from duty
d. 
to dismiss (a special committee) after it has reported to the legislature of which it is a part
e. 
to dismiss from employment
f. 
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.,
a. 
to unload (a cargo)
b. 
to shoot (a projectile)
c. 
to remove (dye) from cloth
3. 
to relieve oneself or itself of (a burden, load, etc.)
; specif.,
a. 
to throw off; send forth; emit
to discharge pus
b. 
to get rid of; acquit oneself of; pay (a debt) or perform (a duty)
4.  Architecture
a. 
to relieve (a wall, etc.) of excess pressure by distribution of weight
b. 
to distribute (weight) evenly over a supporting part
5.  US, Electricity
to remove stored energy from (a battery or capacitor)
verb intransitive
6. 
to get rid of a burden, load, etc.
7. 
to be released or thrown off
8. 
to fire; go off: said of a gun, etc.
9. 
to emit waste matter
said of a wound, etc.
10. 
to run: said of a dye
11. 
to lose or give off a stored electrical charge
noun
12. 
a discharging or being discharged
13. 
that which discharges, as a legal order for release, a certificate of dismissal from military service, etc.
14. 
that which is discharged, as pus from a sore
15. 
a flow of electric current across a gap, as in a spark or arc
SIMILAR WORDS:  free
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
dischargeable (disˈchargeable)
  adjective
discharger (disˈcharger)
  noun
Word origin of 'discharge'
ME dischargen < OFr descharger < VL *discarricare, to unload < L dis-, from + carrus, wagon, car1
Word Frequency

discharge in British

verb (dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ )
1. (transitive)
to release or allow to go
the hospital discharged the patient
2. (transitive)
to dismiss from or relieve of duty, office, employment, etc
3. 
to fire or be fired, as a gun
4. 
to pour forth or cause to pour forth
the boil discharges pus
5. (transitive)
to remove (the cargo) from (a boat, etc); unload
6. (transitive)
to perform (the duties of) or meet (the demands of an office, obligation, etc)
he discharged his responsibilities as mayor
7. (transitive)
to relieve oneself of (a responsibility, debt, etc)
8. (intransitive) physics
a. 
to lose or remove electric charge
b. 
to form an arc, spark, or corona in a gas
c. 
to take or supply electrical current from a cell or battery
9. (transitive) law
to release (a prisoner from custody, etc)
10. (transitive)
to remove dye from (a fabric), as by bleaching
11. (intransitive)
(of a dye or colour) to blur or run
12. (transitive) architecture
a. 
to spread (weight) evenly over a supporting member
b. 
to relieve a member of (excess weight) by distribution of pressure
noun (ˈdɪstʃɑːdʒ , dɪsˈtʃɑːdʒ )
13. 
a person or thing that is discharged
14. 
a. 
dismissal or release from an office, job, institution, etc
b. 
the document certifying such release
15. 
the fulfilment of an obligation or release from a responsibility or liability
honourable discharge
16. 
the act of removing a load, as of cargo
17. 
a pouring forth of a fluid; emission
18. 
a. 
the act of firing a projectile
b. 
the volley, bullet, missile, etc, fired
19. law
a. 
a release, as of a person held under legal restraint
b. 
an annulment, as of a court order
20. physics
a. 
the act or process of removing or losing charge or of equalizing a potential difference
b. 
a transient or continuous conduction of electricity through a gas by the formation and movement of electrons and ions in an applied electric field
21. 
a. 
the volume of fluid flowing along a pipe or a channel in unit time
b. 
the output rate of a plant or piece of machinery, such as a pump
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
dischargeable (disˈchargeable)
  adjective
discharger (disˈcharger)
  noun
Word Frequency

discharge in Chemical Engineering

(dɪstʃɑrdʒ)
Word forms: (regular plural) discharges
noun (count) (noncount)
(Chemical Engineering: General)
Discharge is the flow of waste or product from a process.
The control of air pollution resulting from the discharge of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere has become increasingly urgent.
Other openings were provided at the top of the shell to allow discharge of the products of combustion into the air of the room.
Discharge is the flow of waste or product from a process.
discharge head, discharge rate
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

discharge in the Oil and Gas Industry

(dɪstʃɑrdʒ)
Word forms: (present) discharges, (past) discharged, (perfect) discharged, (progressive) discharging
verb
(Extractive engineering: Field development, Drilling)
When a pump discharges a substance, it pushes it out.
Oil is discharged from the pump into the casing and out the wellhead.
The volume of the fluid discharged from the pump is equal to the area of the plunger or piston.
When a pump discharges a substance, it pushes it out.
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency

discharge in Electrical Engineering

(dɪstʃɑrdʒ)
Word forms: (regular plural) discharges
noun
(Electrical engineering: Circuits, Electrical power)
Electrical discharge can occur by the release of the electric charge stored in a capacitor through an external circuit.
The discharge path was formed when a conductive liquid seeped into the plug-socket assembly.
Capacitors may also have built-in discharge resistors to dissipate stored energy to a safe level within a few seconds after power is removed.
Electrical discharge can occur by the release of the electric charge stored in a capacitor through an external circuit.
air discharge, corona discharge, discharge tube
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Example sentences containing 'discharge'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
She had surgery and was discharged from hospital yesterday. Times, Sunday Times (2016)But he was convicted of having cannabis and got a conditional discharge. The Sun (2016)One officer has been discharged from hospital. The Sun (2016)It is understood that he was taken to hospital and discharged after having stitches. Times, Sunday Times (2016)He discharged himself from hospital and left the country without telling anyone. Times, Sunday Times (2016)He was given a conditional discharge. Times, Sunday Times (2017)He got a conditional discharge yesterday. The Sun (2016)She was given a 12-month conditional discharge after she vowed to pay the money back. The Sun (2016)A further 35 per cent are discharged after being given advice or guidance only. Times, Sunday Times (2017)Failure to discharge patients, often because of a lack of social care, means an increasing number of elderly people are remaining in hospital unnecessarily. Times, Sunday Times (2016)This makes it easier to discharge patients into social care. Times, Sunday Times (2013)She was fined and given a conditional discharge. The Sun (2015)The men were taken to hospital but discharged. The Sun (2016)She was looking down at it and discharged the gun. The Sun (2015)The vast majority of teachers understand this obligation and discharge it well. Times, Sunday Times (2012)These carriages discharge waste on to the tracks. Times, Sunday Times (2011)It is the discharge and its cause that will be the focus of his attention. Times, Sunday Times (2006)The most likely explanation is premature discharge of patients by hospital trusts under pressure of targets. Times, Sunday Times (2006)He was given a conditional discharge for possessing heroin. The Sun (2006)Many stay too long in hospital or are discharged in worse health than when they arrived. Times, Sunday Times (2012)In what respect has he failed to discharge these obligations? Christianity Today (2000)Staff have been told they must tell the police an hour before a patient is discharged. Times, Sunday Times (2011)The footage shows a man being pinned to the ground by three policemen while a fourth discharges the stun gun. Times, Sunday Times (2009)If the repayment plan is successfully completed, the debts are discharged. Charles A. D&apos;Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)Some of last week's rioters were dismissed with a warning or a conditional discharge. Times, Sunday Times (2011)Typically, military members dismissed for failing drug tests do not receive an honourable discharge. Times, Sunday Times (2014)His debts to be discharged, and something still to remain! Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice (1813)She was given a two-year conditional discharge. Times, Sunday Times (2015)A previous demonstration ended with police discharging tear gas into the crowd. Times, Sunday Times (2013)I subsequently discharged my debt to her. Lesley Adkins EMPIRES OF THE PLAIN: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon (2003)If he discharges waste into the pipes and they flood your land, you could sue him for causing a nuisance. Times, Sunday Times (2010)He got an 18-month conditional discharge and must pay 85 costs. The Sun (2014)

Synonyms of 'discharge'

release, free, clear, liberate
dismiss, sack, fire, remove
carry out, perform, fulfil, accomplish
pay, meet, clear, settle
pour forth, release, empty, leak
fire, shoot, set off, explode
off-load, remove, unload, lighten
release, liberation, clearance, pardon
dismissal, notice, removal, the boot
emission, flow, ooze, secretion
firing, report, shot, blast
carrying out, performance, achievement, execution
unloading, emptying, unburdening, disburdening
payment, settlement, satisfaction
More Synonyms of discharge

Word Lists

Law terms

Trends of 'discharge'

Very Common. discharge is one of the 4000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage over:

Translations for 'discharge'

British English: discharge VERB
When someone is discharged from hospital, prison, or one of the armed services, they are officially allowed to leave, or told that they must leave.
He has a broken nose but may be discharged today.
  • American English: discharge
  • Brazilian Portuguese: dispensar
  • Chinese: 批准离开
  • European Spanish: salir
  • French: autoriser à quitter
  • German: entlassen
  • Italian: dimettereda ospedale
  • Japanese: 解放される
  • Korean: 내보내다
  • European Portuguese: dispensar
  • Spanish: salir

Translate your text for free

Nearby words of 'discharge'

  • discerptible
  • discerption
  • discerptive
  • discharge
  • discharge head
  • discharge rate
  • discharge tube

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'D'

Related Terms of 'discharge'

  • air discharge
  • brush discharge
  • discharge head
  • discharge rate
  • discharge tube

  • View more related words

Source

Definition of discharge from the Collins English Dictionary

Distributives

Distributives are determiners that are used to talk about how something is shared out or divided. The distributives are each, every, either, and neither. They are used with a singular noun. Each chi...
Read more about 'Distributives'
Word of the day:
triplane
an aeroplane having three wings arranged one above the other
See full definition
Apr 21, 2018
Study guides for every stage of your learning journey
Whether you're in search of a crossword puzzle, a detailed guide to tying knots, or tips on writing the perfect college essay, Harper Reference has you covered for all your study needs.
Read more
The etymology behind 4 eggs-ellent Springtime words
We’ve explored the diverse etymology of 4 eggs-ellent words associated with spring.
Read more
Up Lit, Alexa Laugh & Meet Me at McDonald’s Hair: March’s Words In The News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this March with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Scrabble score for 'discharge': 16
Latest Word Submissions
Barrecore Apr 18, 2018
wido Apr 18, 2018
centimorgan Apr 17, 2018
gender expansive Apr 16, 2018
Carthritis Apr 15, 2018
Submit View More
Browse the English Dictionary
  • #
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
View all dictionaries...
  • View more
  • API
  • B2B Partnerships
  • Advertising
  • Word Banks
  • Collins COBUILD
  • Collins ELT
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact us
  • Languages
  • English
  • Thesaurus
  • Grammar
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Chinese
  • Portuguese
  • Hindi
  • Word Lists
  • WotY
  • Scrabble
  • Promotion
© Collins 2018