the act of reducing the selling price of merchandise
"The store offered a 20 percent discount on all winter coats to celebrate their anniversary sale."
interest on an annual basis deducted in advance on a loan
"When I took out the student loan, the bank applied a discount to calculate my first year's payments before any interest had even accrued."
A reduction in price.
"The store offered a 20% discount on all winter coats to clear out their inventory before spring arrived."
In plain English: A discount is a lower price you pay for something instead of the full amount.
"The store offered a ten percent discount on all winter coats."
Usage: Use "discount" as a noun to refer specifically to an amount subtracted from a price or a percentage off the original cost. Do not use it to describe the act of reducing a price itself, which should be described with a verb like "to discount."
bar from attention or consideration
"She dismissed his advances"
To deduct from an account, debt, charge, and the like.
"The bank manager agreed to discount my outstanding loan balance by applying a partial payment directly to the principal."
In plain English: To discount something means to treat it as less important or believable than it actually is.
"The store discounted all winter coats by twenty percent before the season ended."
Usage: Use the verb discount to mean subtracting a specific amount from a total bill or financial obligation before payment is made. This action results in paying less than the original listed price due to an agreement or error correction.
Specializing in selling goods at reduced prices.
"The store specializes in discount electronics, offering brand-name gadgets for a fraction of their original cost."
In plain English: Discount describes something that costs less than its usual price.
"We found a discount hotel that was much cheaper than the others."
Usage: Use "discount" as an adjective to describe items sold at a reduced price, such as discount stores or discount rates. Place it directly before the noun it modifies to indicate that the goods are offered below their standard cost.
The word "discount" comes from the Old French disconter, which originally meant to reckon off or account back. It entered English through Medieval Latin as a term for deducting an amount from a total sum.