dispatched; dispatching; dispatches
Definition of dispatch
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
2a
: to kill with quick efficiency
dispatched the deer with one shot
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
archaic
: to make haste : hurry
dispatch
nounDefinition of dispatch (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: 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
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
Test Your Vocabulary
Challenging Words You Should Know
-
- Often used to describe “the march of time,” what does inexorable mean?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share dispatch
Time Traveler for dispatch
The first known use of dispatch was in 1517
See more words from the same year