dispense

verb

dis·​pense di-ˈspen(t)s 

dispensed; dispensing

transitive verb

1

a

: to divide and share out according to a plan : to deal out in portions

dispense food among the needy

b

: administer

dispense justice

2

: to exempt from a law or release from a vow, oath, or impediment : to give dispensation (see dispensation sense 2a) to : exempt

may dispense students from this requirement

3

: to prepare and distribute (medication)

dispensing pills to their patients

intransitive verb

archaic : to grant dispensation

see also:

dispense with

Synonyms of dispense

• distribute
• provide
• administer
• allocate

Choose the Right Synonym for dispense

distribute, dispense, divide, deal, dole out mean to give out, usually in shares, to each member of a group.

distribute implies an apportioning by separation of something into parts, units, or amounts.

distributed food to the needy

dispense suggests the giving of a carefully weighed or measured portion to each of a group according to due or need.

dispensed wisdom to the students

divide stresses the separation of a whole into parts and implies that the parts are equal.

three charitable groups divided the proceeds

deal emphasizes the allotment of something piece by piece.

deal out equipment and supplies

dole out implies a carefully measured portion of something that is often in short supply.

doled out what little food there was

Examples of dispense in a Sentence

The ATM only dispenses $20 bills.

a newspaper columnist who dispenses advice to millions of readers each week

Pharmacists are certified to dispense medication.

Recent Examples on the Web

Overwhelming scientific evidence shows that mifepristone is safe and effective, whether the drug is dispensed via telehealth or at an in-person doctor’s visit. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 May 2026

There are significant worries that AI can readily go off the rails or otherwise dispense unsuitable or even egregiously inappropriate mental health advice. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026

Following his own death one year later, Morgan's Americana collection was partially donated to institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the Morgan Library and the Frick Collection, while other objects were dispensed through sale. —Douglas Brinkley, USA Today, 24 May 2026

Authorities often dispensed empty promises that projects would be replaced with better structures, ones less vulnerable to crime, damp and black mold, and not flawed by the kind of dangerous cost-cutting construction that led to London’s Grenfell Tower burning down in 2017, killing 72 people. —Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dispensen, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French despenser, borrowed from Latin dispensāre "to pay out, distribute, manage, administer, order, regulate," from dis- dis- + pensāre "to weigh, weigh out, treat as a setoff (against a debt), exchange, counterbalance," iterative of pendere "to weigh, have a weight of, pay (out), estimate, consider" — more at pendent

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing dispense

• dispense with

Rhymes for dispense

• commence
• condense
• defence
• defense
• expense
• fourpence
• halfpence
• immense
• incense
• intense
• missense
• offence

Kids Definition

dispense

verb

dis·​pense dis-ˈpen(t)s 

dispensed; dispensing

1

a

: to give out in shares

dispense charity

b

: to give out as deserved

dispense justice

2

: to prepare and give out (medicines)

Medical Definition

dispense

transitive verb

dis·​pense dis-ˈpen(t)s 

dispensed; dispensing

1

: to put up (a prescription or medicine)

2

: to prepare and distribute (medication)