dispatch

1 of 3

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 3

noun (1)

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

dispatcher

3 of 3

noun (2)

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

j

: motor boss

Synonyms of dispatch

Verb

• send

Noun (1)

• letter
• epistle

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 (1)

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 (1)

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

Emergency responders were dispatched Sunday to a report of people injured in a BASE jumping attempt at Mineral Bottom, a remote desert area near the Utah-Colorado line, according to the Sheriff’s Office. —Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2026

Emergency responders were dispatched Sunday to a report of people injured in a BASE jumping attempt at Mineral Bottom, a remote desert area near the Utah-Colorado line, according to the sheriff’s office. —Russ Bynum, CNN Money, 15 June 2026

Noun

Anyone with further information on this incident are asked to contact PPD dispatch at 925-646-2441. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 9 June 2026

Sheriff’s officials said calls for help from Willows received at the sheriff’s dispatch center will be routed to the California Highway Patrol or the Willows Fire Department until Willows provides other instructions. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

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 (1)

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
• bache
• batch
• brach
• catch
• hatch

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