dispose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disposed,
past participle, past
-
disposing
present participle
-
to give a tendency or inclination to; incline.
His temperament disposed him to argue readily with people.
-
to put in a particular or the proper order or arrangement; adjust by arranging the parts.
-
to put in a particular or suitable place.
The lamp was disposed on a table nearby.
-
to make fit or ready; prepare.
Your words of cheer dispose me for the task.
verb (used without object)
-
disposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disposed,
past participle, past
-
disposing
present participle
-
to arrange or decide matters.
to do as God disposes.
-
Obsolete. to make terms.
noun
-
Archaic. disposition; habit.
-
Obsolete. arrangement; regulation; disposal.
verb phrase
verb
-
-
to deal with or settle
-
to give, sell, or transfer to another
-
to throw out or away
-
to consume, esp hurriedly
-
to kill
-
-
to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition
man proposes, God disposes
-
(tr) to make willing or receptive
-
(tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position
-
to accustom or condition
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disposesimple
-
disposessimple
-
have disposedperfect
-
has disposedperfect
-
am disposingprogressive
-
are disposingprogressive
-
is disposingprogressive
-
have been disposingperfect progressive
-
has been disposingperfect progressive
Past
-
disposedsimple
-
had disposedperfect
-
was disposingprogressive
-
were disposingprogressive
-
had been disposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dispose
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French disposer, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + poser “to place” ( see pose 1), on the model of Latin dispōnere
Explanation
If you dispose of something, you get rid of it. Don't want that sweatshirt with the clown's face on it? Give it away, throw it out, even sell it — these are all ways to dispose of that awful shirt. The verb dispose comes from the Latin word disponere, meaning “put in order,” “arrange,” or “distribute" — like when you dispose volunteers to collect trash at a park. The word of usually follows dispose when it means "getting rid of something." Another meaning is "make willing or open to something," like your childhood love of reading that disposes you to becoming a life-long reader.
Vocabulary lists containing dispose
Life Is So Good
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Good Riddance
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Removing EP2 restored the macrophages' ability to dispose of neutrophils, reversing the disruption caused by PGE2.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
They quickly dispose of Lepidus and prepare for a showdown with Antony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Mitchell called for a national strategy to educate people on how to dispose of electrical waste, funded by both the UK and Scottish governments.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Jegede said if the leaves or fruit are too delicate to wash or ash is still visible, it would be best to dispose of the produce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
After a day of this, I opened it to dispose of the stuff at a roadside garbage can and found the most thoroughly mixed and kneaded garbage I have ever seen.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Along the way, Mr. Pinsker disposes of some stubborn myths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
But instead of deciding the case at the end of June when the court ordinarily disposes of the cases heard during the term, the court set the case up for re-argument.
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2025
Do they think there is some sort of pickup service that comes along and disposes of their carefully collected excrement?
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
St. Damien has scheduled her first pickup with Ridwell, a subscription service that picks up and disposes of hard-to-recycle trash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024
Collectively, the Party owns everything in Oceania, because it controls everything and disposes of the products as it thinks fit.
From "1984" by George Orwell
The office intends to have an environmental contractor remove the lithium batteries, which it says will be properly disposed of.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
After the Second World War ended, the Allies disposed of tons of ammunition by dumping it into the ocean so it could not fall into the wrong hands.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Fife Council said it was awaiting "formal confirmation" from an investigation into the incident, but an initial report did identify "improperly disposed batteries within the waste stream" as a possible cause.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
And California recently enacted a law requiring retailers to manage how clothing waste is disposed of, in a bid to keep clothes from further bloating landfills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
While I do think certain individuals are disposed to crime because of their genetic inheritance or an abusive upbringing, I am convinced that apartheid turned many otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
In May, posts emerged online accusing refugees of not properly disposing of animals sacrificed during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha and quickly went viral.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Properly collecting and disposing of spent fireworks could help reduce these environmental effects.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
It makes much of its money on water that those companies need to use in their operations, and by recycling and disposing of that water.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
The team is focused on what is known as “embodied carbon”—the emissions produced during the entire life cycle of construction, including manufacturing, transporting, installing and disposing of materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
As a way of disposing of them easily and agreeably she declared that she would marry whoever could beat her in a foot race, knowing well that there was no such man alive.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
