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

Later in that same episode, Manfredi’s main rival Ming is dispatched with a tomahawk to the head in another gory but grimly funny moment. —Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 16 June 2025

Police were dispatched around midnight near the intersection of 69th Street and College Avenue to the reported sound of gunshots, according to Sgt. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2025

Noun

Per Sumner’s request, Lincoln toned down the letter and asked Seward to keep his dispatch to Adams absolutely confidential. —Zaakir Tameez june 11, Literary Hub, 11 June 2025

For more: read E. Tammy Kim’s dispatch from L.A., where Trump’s deportation agenda has met its fiercest resistance yet. —Caroline Mimbs Nyce, New Yorker, 10 June 2025

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

Rhymes for dispatch

• attach
• bycatch
• despatch
• detach
• mismatch
• nuthatch
• potlatch
• toothache
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch

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