dispose

verb dis·pose \ di-ˈspōz \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

disposed; disposing

transitive verb

1 : to give a tendency to : incline

faulty diet disposes one to sickness

2 a : to put in place : set in readiness : arrange

disposing troops for withdrawal

b obsolete : regulate

c : bestow

intransitive verb

1 : to settle a matter finally

2 obsolete : to come to terms

—

disposer

noun

— dispose of

1 : to place, distribute, or arrange especially in an orderly way

disposing of the weapons in the new fort

2 a : to transfer to the control of another

disposing of personal property to a total stranger

b (1) : to get rid of

how to dispose of toxic waste

(2) : to deal with conclusively

disposed of the matter efficiently

See dispose defined for English-language learners

See dispose defined for kids

Examples of dispose in a Sentence

looking for the perfect spot to dispose the new knickknack
disposed the surgical instruments in the exact order in which they would be needed

Recent Examples of dispose from the Web

So the agency is alerting those in health care across the U.S. to not use and dispose of any products made and distributed by the company.

— mike snider, USA TODAY, "Coastal Meds' sterile, injectable drug products recalled nationally as unclean, FDA orders," 18 Apr. 2018
State rules were revised so that only as much fertilizer content in biosolids could be disposed of in the Kissimmee basin as crops or pasture grass would require. Audubon scientist Paul Gray said disposal of biosolids along the Kissimmee decreased.

— kevin spear, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Rare Florida jewel, Blue Cypress Lake, sickens with pollution," 11 Apr. 2018
Over that same period, the military dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of old chemical weapons directly into the ocean, without bothering to keep records of precisely where or how many weapons were disposed of.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "How the Death of 6,000 Sheep Spurred the American Debate on Chemical Weapons," 9 Apr. 2018
New Environmental Protection Agency rules on disposing solid waste forced spending to update the landfills, Powers said.

— author: naomi klouda, Anchorage Daily News, "Kodiak governments latest to explore savings of consolidation," 6 Apr. 2018
Also on Monday, Bevin vetoed House Bill 148, the bill that would allow hospice organizations to take and dispose of terminally ill patients' unused drugs.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Gov. Bevin vetoes bill allowing Louisville and other cities to phase in huge pension costs," 5 Apr. 2018
Yet businesses here seem reluctant to invest in disposing of their sewage in the way required by law.

— The Economist, "The president of the Philippines wants to close paradise," 28 Mar. 2018
Prescriptions should be kept in their original containers and be safely disposed of when no longer needed.

— lauren castle, azcentral, "What to remember to prevent poisonings, and who to call if you need help," 20 Mar. 2018
The company has since disposed of the leasing division at the root of the accounting issues, Mr. Svindland said, and Celadon now is focused on improving its core truckload business.

— jennifer smith, WSJ, "NYSE Moves to Delist Shares of Trucker Celadon," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dispose.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dispose

Middle English, from Anglo-French desposer, from Latin disponere to arrange (perfect indicative disposui), from dis- + ponere to put — more at position

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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dispose Synonyms

Synonyms

arrange, array, classify, codify, draw up, lay out, marshal (also marshall), order, organize, range, systematize;

Antonyms

derange, disarrange, disarray, disorder, mess (up), muss (up), rumple, upset;

unscramble;

align (also aline), cue, line, line up, queue;

alphabetize, file, prioritize, sequence;

emplace, place, set;

display, map (out), set out;

Synonym Discussion of dispose

incline, bias, dispose, predispose mean to influence one to have or take an attitude toward something. incline implies a tendency to favor one of two or more actions or conclusions.

- I incline to agree

bias suggests a settled and predictable leaning in one direction and connotes unfair prejudice.

- the experience biased him against foreigners

dispose suggests an affecting of one's mood or temper so as to incline one toward something.

- her nature disposes her to trust others

predispose implies the operation of a disposing influence well in advance of the opportunity to manifest itself.

- does fictional violence predispose them to accept real violence?

dispose

noun

1 obsolete : disposal

2 obsolete

a : disposition

b : demeanor

Recent Examples of dispose from the Web

Many dispose of toilet waste by dumping it in local fresh water sources.

— NBC News, "If I take action today, maybe someone's life will be saved," 19 Sep. 2017
These wastes should be containerized, labeled, and ultimately sent to a facility that is permitted to store, treat, and dispose of hazardous wastes.

— leah napoliello, Houston Chronicle, "BBB on homes: Get going on debris removal from property," 26 Oct. 2017
Customers should stop using the products and either dispose of them or return them to the customer service desk at any Meijer store for a refund, according to the company.

— tyler langan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Buzz: Meijer recalls vegetables over possible listeria contamination," 24 Oct. 2017
Barcelona could be set to offload three first-team players in January, including Andre Gomes, with boss Ernesto Valverde keen to reshape his squad and dispose of unused assets, according to the Mail.

— SI.com, "Tottenham Target Among Three Barcelona Players Linked With January Exit as Valverde Shapes Squad," 13 Oct. 2017
But instead of notifying federal safety regulators and moving forward with fixes, Takata executives ordered its engineers to destroy the data and dispose of the physical evidence.

— clifford atiyeh and rusty blackwell, Car and Driver, "Massive Takata Airbag Recall: Everything You Need to Know, Including Full List of Affected Vehicles," 31 Aug. 2017
At the end of this growing season, cut plants to the ground and dispose of diseased material off-site.

— ellen nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: Wild violets and oxalis," 29 Aug. 2017
Inspectors did ultimately dispose of 25 pounds of food.

— tanner walters, SI.com, "2017 MLB Ballpark Food Safety Rankings," 9 Aug. 2017
In the book, Symon tries to use the song to blackmail Tyrion but Tyrion has Bronn dispose of him instead; it's implied that Symon ends up cooked in a bowl of brown, the signature dish of Flea Bottom.

— eliza thompson, Cosmopolitan, "The Hidden Meaning of Ed Sheeran's Otherwise Pointless Game of Thrones Cameo," 17 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of dispose

see ¹dispose

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1590

See Words from the same year

DISPOSE Defined for English Language Learners

dispose

verb

: to cause (someone) to be likely to do or have something
: to put (someone or something) in a particular position or place

DISPOSE Defined for Kids

dispose

verb dis·pose \ dis-ˈpōz \

disposed; disposing

: to put in place : arrange

Campsites were disposed around the lake.

— dispose of

1 : to finish with

The matter was quickly disposed of.

2 : to get rid of Please dispose of trash properly.

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