as in distributes
to give out (something) to appropriate individuals
a conscientious pharmacist never dispenses pills to people without assurances that they understand the instructions
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Recent Examples of dispenses
The musical, featuring a book by David Hornsby and Chris Hoch and a score by the Rescues that dispenses with the movie’s cover-heavy soundtrack, is undeniably overstuffed.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Sol de Janeiro’s body lotion comes with a convenient pump that quickly dispenses the lotion so my skin can reap the benefits of the formula.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
What happened Imagine an ATM that checks your balance, dispenses the money, then deducts the amount from your account.
—Emin Gün Sirer, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.
—Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Of course, the real issue isn’t advice itself, but rather the wisdom of whomever dispenses it—and finding them in the first place is harder to admitting someone else’s opinion just may be savvier than your own.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2026
By the coffee station is a faucet that immediately dispenses either ice-cold or boiling water—a feature all hotels should adopt immediately.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2026
That unit dispenses prescriptions in CVS’ more than 9,000 retail pharmacies and provides other services, such as vaccinations and diagnostic testing.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Sol de Janeiro’s body lotion comes with a convenient pump that quickly dispenses the lotion so my skin can reap the benefits of the formula.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
What happened Imagine an ATM that checks your balance, dispenses the money, then deducts the amount from your account.
—Emin Gün Sirer, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026
Black folks have seen the face of the US’s prerogative state—the side of the government that dispenses arbitrary jurisprudence, discriminatory law enforcement, and violence against those who challenge its authority and dominant ideologies.
—Literary Hub, 30 Mar. 2026
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Of course, the real issue isn’t advice itself, but rather the wisdom of whomever dispenses it—and finding them in the first place is harder to admitting someone else’s opinion just may be savvier than your own.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 3 Mar. 2026
By the coffee station is a faucet that immediately dispenses either ice-cold or boiling water—a feature all hotels should adopt immediately.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2026
That unit dispenses prescriptions in CVS’ more than 9,000 retail pharmacies and provides other services, such as vaccinations and diagnostic testing.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispenses
Verb
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Besides developing and making its own IP, Wyncor also manufactures and distributes toys based on franchises such as Dungeons & Dragons, Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants and Transformers.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
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Sony Pictures Entertainment Iberia distributes in Spain.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The lower level provides flexible additional space with custom storage and cedar closets.—
Sara B. Hansen,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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Speaking of dry skin, glycerin draws in hydration, colloidal oatmeal calms itchiness and irritation, and aloe provides an immediate, cooling relief when skin feels hot or reactive.—
Christa Joanna Lee,
Allure,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Multiple sources confirmed that the administration has asked the ride-share giant — which administers the Citi Bike program for the city — not to roll out a system that would, in part, utilize facial-recognition technology to ensure riders are above the minimum age of 16.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
6 May 2026
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The treasurer administers critical wealth-building programs like CalSavers, CalKIDS, ScholarShare 529 and CalABLE.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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The device monitors the overall site power demand and allocates electricity proportionally across workshops.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
4 May 2026
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The state treasurer manages the state’s Pooled Money Investment Account, which invests monies on behalf of state government and local jurisdictions and allocates state bond financing for projects related to education, infrastructure, the environment or affordable housing.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dispenses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispenses. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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