dispose

Synonym Chooser

How is the word dispose different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of dispose are bias, incline, and predispose. While all these words mean "to influence one to have or take an attitude toward something," dispose suggests an affecting of one's mood or temper so as to incline one toward something.

her nature disposes her to trust others

When might bias be a better fit than dispose?

The synonyms bias and dispose are sometimes interchangeable, but bias suggests a settled and predictable leaning in one direction and connotes unfair prejudice.

the experience biased him against foreigners

When can incline be used instead of dispose?

The words incline and dispose are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, incline implies a tendency to favor one of two or more actions or conclusions.

I incline to agree

Where would predispose be a reasonable alternative to dispose?

Although the words predispose and dispose have much in common, 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?

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dispose The agreement, ratified in 2011, required both nations to dispose of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025 The products cannot be displayed in stores and must be disposed of by returning them to the manufacturer or giving them to law enforcement. Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Oct. 2025 The La Crosse Tribune reported at the time that though a cleaning crew hired to dispose of Gein's trash started a large bonfire on the property, the flames weren't close enough to reach the house. Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025 The bag may be a method of capturing and disposing of space debris. Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dispose
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dispose
Verb
  • Yet the songs, situated in the melange of Black music, cohered through D’Angelo’s resolve.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The moon — our nearest neighbor in space — will be situated about 247,000 miles (398,000 km) from Earth, while Venus is nearly 600 times more distant at 147 million miles (236 million km) away.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Related Stories In a nutsell, the test arranged by the cutter’s union documented that AI tools are great for organizing, classifying and summarizing.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Police and the media classified Gacy’s victims as male prostitutes and homosexuals, using that as an excuse to marginalize and blame them.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Pair it with tights, knee-high boots, and a denim jacket for an effortlessly put together look.
    Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
  • This could further drive up longtime residents’ property tax bills and put them at risk of losing their homes to the land bank eventually, too.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In a feat of logistics, the production miraculously arranged the shooting schedule so that every principal actor’s final scene on the show was also their last day of filming — something the Duffers have been freshly reliving again and again in the edit bay.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
  • However, for years, police suspected that Charles arranged the murder of Markel.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In April, ahead of QPR’s final Championship match of the season away to Sunderland, Cifuentes was placed on gardening leave.
    Rob Tanner, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Researchers pointed out that in laboratory experiments, the glasses were placed in pure water at 90 degrees Celsius for up to 112 days.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2024, his mother, Idit Ohel, organized a concert for him on the Gaza border.
    Itay Stern, NPR, 13 Oct. 2025
  • The protests are organized by progressive organization Indivisible, with cities having their own branch.
    Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Photographer Gabriel Antal shared heartstopping footage to Instagram, under the handle hybaj_na_island, of the moment the group stopped to take pictures on the rocks at Reynisfjara, a famous black sand beach located in southern Iceland, near the town of Vík í Mýrdal.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The Airbnb will be located in the heart of the city, and is designed to look like a ‘70s television show.
    Mae Hamilton, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Mayor Chris Carney said the town received two drones for the price of one because Mooresville was among the first communities in the country to order the new technology.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 13 Oct. 2025
  • In September, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy cited the pursuit of innovation, collaboration and connection in ending the company’s three-days-in the-office hybrid model and ordering employees — including those at the company’s Bay Area offices — back in five days a week.
    Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dispose.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dispose. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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