dispatch

1 of 2

verb

dis·​patch di-ˈspach How to pronounce dispatch (audio)
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 noun

dispatch

2 of 2

noun

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
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
Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Texas 199 and Ten Mile Azle Road around 8:40 p.m. regarding a major accident. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Prince William County firefighters were dispatched to 39 outside and brush fires beginning about noon Wednesday, including large fires in the 4700 block of Locust Shade Drive and near Richmond Highway and Russell Road, where northbound traffic was blocked. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024 The next day, the highway patrol officer who noticed the damage to Anderson’s F-150 reviewed security footage from a nearby casino, which showed the woman walking south on state Route 73 with no vehicles appearing until Anderson’s and no others after until an ambulance that was dispatched. The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 Emergency services were dispatched to Hollerwood Off-Road Adventure Park after receiving a call at 8:42 p.m. local about the UTV accident, Powell County Search and Rescue said in a news release posted on Facebook. Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 The supplies will be dispatched by truck, including in Gaza's north, said José Andrés, a renowned Spanish American chef who founded the World Central Kitchen. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 17 Mar. 2024 Hoping to learn more about Lassa fever, agency officials dispatched him to Ireland to conduct serologic, or antibody-detecting, tests on nuns who had previously worked in Sierra Leone. Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 On June 1 at around 11 p.m., Highland Park Police officers were dispatched to a hotel on Woodward Avenue for a reported shooting. Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 Authorities dispatched a medical team and police to the scene and transported Smith to the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she was pronounced dead. Audrey Conklin, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Investigators said the man suffered blunt force trauma to his head, according to archived radio dispatches reviewed by The Sacramento Bee. Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024 San Diego took control over staffing, dispatch, deployment, billing and other crucial ambulance decisions last fall after many months of frustration with private provider Falck USA, which only transports patients under the new model. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024 The woman called the emergency dispatch center to tell police that her car was being blocked in a parking space. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Harrison police both responded to a vehicle on its top in the 10000 block of New Haven Road in Harrison Township at 9:42 p.m. Tuesday, according to dispatch. Jennifer Edwards Baker, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024 The boat made it to the shallow waters near Long Key around 7:30 a.m., the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office online dispatch records show. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Danish director Gustav Moller’s claustrophobic last feature, The Guilty, starred Jakob Cedergren as a police officer working the dispatch line, fielding calls from a victim, a suspect and many others, all the while holding the screen on his own. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Feb. 2024 The aid dispatch comes as Cyprus, the European Commission, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom are working to establish a maritime corridor to deliver aid assistance directly to Gaza. Scott McLean, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Advocates and Lacy have called on the sheriff’s department to release the full footage as well as the complete 911 calls and communication between dispatch and the deputies. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dispatch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of dispatch was in 1517

Dictionary Entries Near dispatch

Cite this Entry

“Dispatch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dispatch. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dispatch

1 of 2 verb
dis·​patch dis-ˈpach How to pronounce dispatch (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on dispatch

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