What does it mean if a contract is discharged?

When a contract is discharged, it means that the obligations of the parties involved have ended. This can occur through various means, such as the completion of the contractual terms, mutual agreement to terminate the contract, or because of a specified condition that leads to the contract's end. Once a contract is discharged, neither party is legally obligated to perform any duties that were stipulated in the agreement, effectively releasing both from any further obligations or liabilities under the contract.

In contrast to other options, a contract being temporarily put on hold implies that the obligations still exist but are paused; however, discharge means those obligations are completely terminated. If a contract were legally voided without any effects, that would indicate it never had any legal standing in the first place, which is fundamentally different from a discharge that applies to a valid contract. An automatic extension of a contract would indicate that the obligations continue rather than conclude, which does not align with the definition of discharging a contract.