discharge

to relieve of or release from something that burdens or confines; specif.,
1. to remove the cargo of (a ship); unload
2. to release the charge of (a gun); fire
3. to release (a soldier, jury, etc.) from duty
4. to dismiss (a special committee) after it has reported to the legislature of which it is a part
5. to dismiss from employment
6. to release (a prisoner) from jail, (a defendant) from suspicion, (a patient) as cured, (a debtor or bankrupt) from obligations, etc.
to release or remove (that by which one is burdened or confined); specif.,
1. to unload (a cargo)
2. to shoot (a projectile)
3. to remove (dye) from cloth
to relieve oneself or itself of (a burden, load, etc.); specif.,
1. to throw off; send forth; emit: to discharge pus
2. to get rid of; acquit oneself of; pay (a debt) or perform (a duty)
Archit.
1. to relieve (a wall, etc.) of excess pressure by distribution of weight
2. to distribute (weight) evenly over a supporting part
☆ Elec. to remove stored energy from (a battery or capacitor)

intransitive verb

noun

a discharging or being discharged
that which discharges, as a legal order for release, a certificate of dismissal from military service, etc.
that which is discharged, as pus from a sore
a flow of electric current across a gap, as in a spark or arc

Related Forms:

See discharge in American Heritage Dictionary 4

(dĭs-chärjˈ)

verb dis·charged, dis·charg·ing, dis·charg·es

verb, transitive

a. To relieve of a burden or of contents; unload.
b. To unload or empty (contents).
a. To release, as from confinement, care, or duty: discharge a patient; discharge a soldier.
b. To let go; empty out: a train discharging commuters.
c. To pour forth; emit: a vent discharging steam.
d. To shoot: discharge a pistol.
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
a. To acquit completely: discharged the defendant.
b. To set aside; annul: discharge a court order.
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
a. To apportion (weight) evenly, as over a door.
b. To relieve (a part) of excess weight by distribution of pressure.
To clear the record of the loan of (a returned library book).

verb, intransitive

To get rid of a burden, load, or weight.
a. To go off; fire: The musket discharged loudly.
b. To pour forth, emit, or release contents.
c. To become blurred, as a color or dye; run.
To undergo the release of stored energy or electric charge.

noun (dĭsˈchärjˌ, dĭs-chärjˈ)

The act of removing a load or burden.
The act of shooting or firing a projectile or weapon.
a. A flowing out or pouring forth; emission; secretion: a discharge of pus.
b. The amount or rate of emission or ejection.
c. Something that is discharged, released, emitted, or excreted: a watery discharge.
The act or an instance of removing an obligation, burden, or responsibility.
a. Fulfillment of the terms of something, such as a debt or promise.
b. Performance, as of an office or duty.
a. Dismissal or release from employment, service, care, or confinement.
b. An official document certifying such release, especially from military service.
Law An annulment or acquittal; dismissal, as of a court order.
Electricity
a. Release of stored energy in a capacitor by the flow of current between its terminals.
b. Conversion of chemical energy to electric energy in a storage battery.
c. A flow of electricity in a dielectric, especially in a rarefied gas.
d. Elimination of net electric charge from a charged body.