Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: descharger, from Late Latin carricare 'to load'


1 verb

send somebody away

[transitive]MH to officially allow someone to leave somewhere, especially the hospital or the army, navy etc, or to tell them that they must leave:
Hospitals now tend to discharge patients earlier than in the past.
The judge discharged the jury.
discharge somebody from something
Several of the recruits were discharged from the Army due to medical problems.
discharge yourself British English (=leave hospital before your treatment is complete)
Dunning was conditionally discharged for two years.

gas/liquid/smoke etc

[intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to send out gas, liquid, smoke etc, or to allow it to escape
discharge something into something
Sewage is discharged directly into the sea.
discharge into
Rainwater collects here and then discharges into the river Kennett.


[transitive]PMW formal to fire a gun or shoot an arrow etc:
A soldier accidentally discharged his weapon.

duty/responsibility/debt etc

[transitive] formalPGO to do or pay what you have a duty to do or pay
discharge your duties/responsibilities/obligations etc
The trustees failed to discharge their duties properly.


[intransitive and transitive]TEE if a piece of electrical equipment discharges, or if it is discharged, it sends out electricity

a wound

[intransitive and transitive]MI if a wound or body part discharges a substance such as pus (=infected liquid), the substance slowly comes out of it



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