dispatcher

noun

dis·​patch·​er
variants or less commonly despatcher
-chə(r)
plural -s
: one that dispatches or expedites usually as a vocation: such as
a
: an employee of a transportation company who directs the departures of trains, planes, buses, trucks, boats, or other vehicles according to traveling conditions and in the best interests of efficient service
b
: one that assigns jobs to waiting seamen in a hiring hall
c
: one that expedites repair service or delivery of materials or goods within a plant or for customers
d
: a telephone worker who directs the locating, testing, and clearing of trouble on subscriber lines
e
: one that upon receiving reports of forest fire from lookouts organizes men and equipment to combat it
f
: one that directs the departure of passenger elevators (as from the main floor of a large building)
worked as dispatcher at a big hotel
g
: one that receives information about crimes and transmits it by radio to police patrols
h
: one that directs the movement of oil or gas into and through pipeline systems or the disposition of loads and generating capacity on an electric power system
i
: a telegraph worker who directs the flow of messages during times of wire shortage or emergency or who assigns additional personnel when needed

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Cite this Entry

“Dispatcher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispatcher. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

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