dispatch

1 of 2

verb

dis·​patch di-ˈspach 

dispatched; dispatching; dispatches

transitive verb

1

: to send off or away with promptness or speed

dispatch a letter

dispatch an ambulance to the scene

especially : to send off on official business

dispatch a messenger

2

a

: to kill with quick efficiency

dispatched the deer with one shot

b

obsolete : deprive

3

: to dispose of (something, such as a task) rapidly or efficiently

anxious to dispatch the matter

… household business could not be dispatched hastily by Mrs. Tulliver.

—George Eliot

4

: defeat sense 1

easily dispatching each team they played

intransitive verb

archaic : to make haste : hurry

dispatcher

di-ˈspa-chər 

noun

dispatch

2 of 2

noun

dis·​patch di-ˈspach  ˈdi-ˌspach 

1

a

: a message sent with speed

especially : an important official message sent by a diplomatic, military, or naval officer

sent a dispatch to headquarters

b

: a news item filed (see file entry 4 sense 2b) by a correspondent

dispatches from the war zone

2

: the act of dispatching: such as

a

obsolete : dismissal

b

: the act of killing

c(1)

: prompt settlement (as of an item of business)

Tom Pinch and his sister having to part, for the dispatch of the morning's business …, had no opportunity of discussing the subject at that time.

—Charles Dickens

(2)

: quick riddance

d

: a sending off : shipment

the immediate dispatch of supplies to the front

3

: promptness and efficiency in performance or transmission

done with dispatch

Synonyms

Verb

• consign
• pack (off)
• send
• ship
• shoot
• transfer
• transmit
• transport

Noun

• epistle
• letter
• memo
• memorandum
• missive
• note

Choose the Right Synonym for dispatch

Verb

kill, slay, murder, assassinate, dispatch, execute mean to deprive of life.

kill merely states the fact of death caused by an agency in any manner.

killed in an accident

frost killed the plants

slay is a chiefly literary term implying deliberateness and violence but not necessarily motive.

slew thousands of the Philistines

murder specifically implies stealth and motive and premeditation and therefore full moral responsibility.

convicted of murdering a rival

assassinate applies to deliberate killing openly or secretly often for political motives.

terrorists assassinated the Senator

dispatch stresses quickness and directness in putting to death.

dispatched the sentry with one bullet

execute stresses putting to death as a legal penalty.

executed by lethal gas

Noun

haste, hurry, speed, expedition, dispatch mean quickness in movement or action.

haste applies to personal action and implies urgency and precipitancy and often rashness.

marry in haste

hurry often has a strong suggestion of agitated bustle or confusion.

in the hurry of departure she forgot her toothbrush

speed suggests swift efficiency in movement or action.

exercises to increase your reading speed

expedition and dispatch both imply speed and efficiency in handling affairs but expedition stresses ease or efficiency of performance and dispatch stresses promptness in concluding matters.

the case came to trial with expedition

paid bills with dispatch

Examples of dispatch in a Sentence

Verb

Rescue workers were immediately dispatched to the area.

The hotel dispatched a limo to pick us up from the airport.

He dispatched the guard with one bullet.

Noun

The general sent a dispatch to headquarters.

He requested the immediate dispatch of supplies.

The reporter sent many dispatches from the war zone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Parfitt has lived most of his life in Spain, being dispatched to Madrid in 1987 for six weeks to help launch Spanish Vogue. —John Hopewell, Variety, 29 Apr. 2024

The next morning at around 7 a.m., the park dispatched a high-altitude rescue helicopter pilot and two mountaineering rangers from the nearby town of Talkeetna to the scene. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024

The Nuggets’ 112-105 win, even more so than their previous wins of the series, felt like relatively light work, with the Lakers dispatched relatively early in the second half. —Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2024

Fire crews were dispatched just before 11 a.m. to the area of Westport Road and Main Street after a KC Streetcar construction crew struck a gas main, according to Michael Hopkins, a spokesman for the Kansas City Fire Department. —Andrea Klick, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2024

Additional firefighters were dispatched to Station 8. —Jeff A. Chamer, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2024

Officers were dispatched to The Campbell apartments in the 7300 block of Shepherd Oaks Circle regarding a shooting shortly after 12:45 a.m. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Apr. 2024

The Kings players were happy with, but not overly celebratory, after dispatching the team that eliminated them in the first round last season. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024

Not long after the ink dried on the 2008 joint statement, Beijing dispatched vessels to patrol the waters around the Senkaku Islands (known in China as the Diaoyu Islands). —Tomohiko Taniguchi, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024

Noun

In a rare public report of the trip, the official Korean Central News Agency said in a one-sentence dispatch the North Korean delegation led by External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong Ho left Pyongyang for Tehran on Tuesday. —TIME, 24 Apr. 2024

Any witnesses are encouraged to call the dispatch center at 916-808-5471. —Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 23 Apr. 2024

Now that the public has grown accustomed to seeing dispatches from the war, Kochetova’s diary-like format aims to personalize the conflict’s toll. —Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024

Editor’s Note: This is a version of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. —Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

Dimon delivered his verdict on AI’s importance in an expansive dispatch that also lambasted a set of regulatory proposals, sounded a stark warning on geopolitics, took aim at shareholder advisory firms and offered a spirited defense of the role of market making in the financial system. —Hannah Levitt, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

New York Times columnist Thomas Edsall’s weekly dispatch is enlightening fare, and not just for his often-astute observations on the state of American politics. —Noah Rothman, National Review, 3 Apr. 2024

Three suspects — two from Sacramento and another from Antioch — shoved a woman aside to take her pickup truck and steal her cigarettes before fleeing the scene, according to police and archived radio dispatches. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024

One officer tells radio dispatch shots were fired and to send an ambulance. —Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Spanish despachar or Italian dispacciare, from Occitan despachar to get rid of, from Middle French despechier to set free, from Old French, from des- dis- + -pechier (as in enpechier to ensnare) — more at impeach

First Known Use

Verb

1517, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing dispatch

• dispatch case
• dispatch rider
• with dispatch

Kids Definition

dispatch

1 of 2 verb

dis·​patch dis-ˈpach 

1

: to send away quickly to a particular place or for a particular purpose

dispatch a messenger

dispatch a train

2

: to put to death : kill

3

: to get done speedily

dispatcher noun

dispatch

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: message sense 1

especially : an important official message

b

: a news story sent in to a newspaper

2

: the sending of a message or messenger

3

: the act of killing

4

: the shipment of goods

5

: promptness in performing a task

did our homework with dispatch