Here's from dictionary.com:


ante up

transitive and intransitive verb

pay what is owed: to pay money that is due to be paid ( informal )


And from onelook.com:

Quick definitions (ante up)

verb: cancel or discharge a debt

It seems that canceling and discharging would be to free a person from having to pay a debt rather than the person's paying off the debt.

My question is: Can canceling a debt and discharging it mean to pay off the debt? If so, I've never heard those two verbs used in this way.