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.

See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office is reviewing how the initial call to police was prioritized and dispatched, the city’s director of communications, Jamie Housen, said in an email. —Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023

West precinct officers were dispatched before 9 p.m. to a person shot call in the 1900 block of 13th Way S.W., which is just off Mayfield Avenue. —Carol Robinson | [e-mail], al, 19 Sep. 2023

Lake County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the crash about a quarter-mile north of Lake Cook Road, at approximately 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday. —Chloe Hilles, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023

Project NextGen, a five-billion-dollar Biden Administration initiative modelled on Operation Warp Speed, is intended to accelerate advances in vaccine technology, and last month the program dispatched its first round of funding. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023

Mutual-aid events are beneficial in cases of a municipality having to dispatch crews to help another utility restore power after an emergency or severe-weather situation, according to Municipal Electric Systems. —Mike Jones, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2023

Disturbance: Royalton Road On Aug. 9, police were dispatched to GetGo regarding a disturbance between two employees at the Royalton Road store. —John Benson, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023

After they’re dispatched from Charm City, the telescope’s marching orders are transmitted via one of the radio antennas in the Deep Space Network, which are located in Goldstone, California; Madrid; and Canberra, Australia. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 13 Sep. 2023

To the frustration of many Republicans, the Chinese government has yet to reciprocate by dispatching any of its top officials for talks in Washington. —Abigail Hauslohner, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023

Noun

Previously, Pena-Romero was also an employee at the Arkansas dispatch center but was suspended after his Aug. 7 arrest for allegedly raping and assaulting Cassandra. —Christina Coulter, Fox News, 19 Sep. 2023

In 1965, China did dispatch troops to help North Vietnam fight the United States (with troop levels peaking in 1967), but its support for Hanoi began in 1950, far predating China’s domestic unrest. —M. Taylor Fravel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Sep. 2023

The caller provided the dispatch with a license plate, which came back to a Parma address. —John Benson, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023

The police representative will assess the situation over the phone and dispatch fire department personnel if necessary. —Alex Hulvalchick, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023

The officer had dispatch run Mackey's name through the National Crime Information Center database and learned Mackey had two warrants for failure to appear, according to the affidavit. —Nwa Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 14 Sep. 2023

Gallatin County Sherriff Search and Rescue officials said the Madison County dispatch received a call from a hunting party around 1:50 p.m. Friday after one of their hunters was attacked by a grizzly bear near Yellow Mule Trail, about 50 miles southwest of Bozeman, Montana. —Zoe Wells, USA TODAY, 11 Sep. 2023

First, a short dispatch from listener and travel writer Diane Covington-Carter about another place steeped in mythology. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Sep. 2023

Though mobile crisis unit dispatch is an option, FirstLink prefers to deescalate crises over the phone, said Dallas Tufty, one of FirstLink's operators. —Christina Saint Louis, CBS News, 31 Aug. 2023

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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

• with dispatch
• dispatch case
• dispatch rider

• with dispatch
• dispatch case
• dispatch rider

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