dispatch

verb dis·patch \ di-ˈspach \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: dispatch in a Sentence

Definition of dispatch

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 3

easily dispatching each team they played

intransitive verb

archaic : to make haste : hurry

—

dispatcher

noun

See dispatch defined for English-language learners

See dispatch defined for kids

Examples of dispatch in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of dispatch from the Web

More than 680 firefighters have been dispatched to battle the fires and a Type 1 incident command team — assigned to the largest fires — took charge on Saturday morning.

— paulina dedaj, Fox News, "Officials order new evacuations as Colorado wildfires rage on," 9 June 2018
Investing in Guizhou has been a chance to curry favour with the party’s rising stars, who are sometimes dispatched to the province as a sort of trial by fire.

— The Economist, "One of China’s poorest provinces wants to be a tech hub," 31 May 2018
In 1999, a fleet of blue skiffs arrived in Cobscook Bay: rockweed boats dispatched by a Nova Scotia company called Acadian Seaplants Limited.

— ben goldfarb, Smithsonian, "How Seaweed Connects Us All," 31 May 2018
Garrett was sent to the hospital as a patient in an ambulance dispatched by the North Palos Fire Protection District.

— howard ludwig, Daily Southtown, "Man charged with attacking security guards at Palos Hospital," 22 May 2018
More than 7,500 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine, dispatched by the WHO and donated by the treatment’s manufacturer, Merck & Co., arrived last week in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.

— william clowes, Bloomberg.com, "Ebola Vaccinations Begin While Congo Races to Tackle Disease," 21 May 2018
The inclusion of this phrase in the claim suggests the attacker was remotely inspired by ISIS, as opposed to dispatched by the group directly.

— New York Times, "Paris Attack Leaves 1 Dead and 4 Wounded by Knife-Wielding Terrorist," 12 May 2018
The three men flew to Washington after their release to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was dispatched to Pyongyang on Tuesday in the hope that Kim would agree to free the detainees.

— Fortune, "'This Is a Special Night.' North Korea Talks Yield First Big Diplomatic Coup for Trump," 10 May 2018
Suddenly, the people of Sandford are being dispatched with ruthless and gory efficiency by a mysterious entity in a hooded cloak.

— tom philip, GQ, "Hot Fuzz Is One of the Best Action Movies Ever, and It's on Netflix," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dispatch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dispatch

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1517

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

dispatch Synonyms

Phrases

get the better of, knock for a loop;

Synonym Discussion of dispatch

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

dispatch

noun dis·patch \ di-ˈspach , ˈdis-ˌpach \

Definition of dispatch

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 ⁴file 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

See dispatch defined for English-language learners

Examples of dispatch in a Sentence

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 of dispatch from the Web

The show felt like dispatches from the epicenter of cool.

— refinery29.com, "The Birth, Death & Inevitable Comeback Of The Cosmo, SATC's Greatest Icon," 6 June 2018
The woman, who hails from Hopedale, was arrested and charged with making a false report to a public safety dispatch, a crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 2½ years in the house of correction.

— emily sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Mother’s Day lilac thief caught redhanded — well, maybe purplehanded," 25 May 2018
The Gurnee confrontation started Wednesday afternoon when someone called 911 dispatch to report a suspicious car with a bullet hole in it at the corner of Harper Avenue and Gould Street.

— jim newton, Lake County News-Sun, "Bond set at $100,000 for man accused of being with woman fatally shot by police in Gurnee," 25 May 2018
County and city of San Diego officials have long considered merging the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, North County Dispatch, Heartland Communications, Escondido and Cal Fire/County Fire dispatch centers.

— city news service, Ramona Sentinel, "Supervisors consider consolidating dispatch centers," 8 May 2018
The dispatch center will be run by Chagrin Valley Dispatch, which operates regional centers for several other police agencies.

— laura bednar, cleveland.com, "Independence Police Department joins three other cities to form combined dispatch center," 7 May 2018
Anyone with information is asked to cal Detective Minchew at (936) 522-3329 or dispatch at (936) 522-3200.

— robert downen, Houston Chronicle, "Elderly woman sexually assaulted in Conroe garage, police say," 13 Apr. 2018
Barrash spent more than a decade researching the Cyclops, amassing Navy records, ship logs, dispatches, photos, even a sooty bag of manganese ore.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore-bound USS Cyclops vanished 100 years ago. Its fate remains a mystery," 13 Mar. 2018
CAll Middletown dispatch at 513-425-7700 option 0 with any information.

— the enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Update: 12-year-old boy who left home without coat, shoes has been located," 6 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of dispatch

see ¹dispatch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1537

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

dispatch Synonyms

Synonyms

communication, message;

Related Words

bulletin, communiqué, report;

memo, memorandum, notice;

epistle, letter, missive, note;

electronic mail, e-mail, voice mail;

intelligence, news, tidings, word;

command, directive, instruction, order;

Synonym Discussion of dispatch

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

DISPATCH Defined for English Language Learners

dispatch

verb

Definition of dispatch for English Language Learners

: to send (someone or something) quickly to a particular place for a particular purpose
: to defeat (a person or team) in a game, contest, etc.
: to kill (a person or animal) quickly

dispatch

noun

Definition of dispatch for English Language Learners

: an important official message
: the act of sending someone or something to a particular place for a particular purpose
: a news story that a reporter sends to a newspaper usually from a foreign country