disposal

¹

[ dih-spoh-zuhl ]

noun

1. an act or instance of disposing; arrangement:

   the disposal of the troops.

2. a disposing of or getting rid of something:

   the disposal of waste material.

3. a disposing or allotting of, as by gift or sale; bestowal or assignment:

   She left no will to indicate the disposal of her possessions.

4. power or right to dispose of a thing; control:

   left at his disposal.

   Synonyms: management, direction, command

disposal

²

[ dih-spoh-zuhl ]

noun

1. an electrical device in the drain of a sink, for grinding up garbage to be washed down the drain.

disposal

/ dɪˈspəʊzəl /

noun

1. the act or means of getting rid of something
2. placement or arrangement in a particular order
3. a specific method of tending to matters, as in business
4. the act or process of transferring something to or providing something for another
5. the power or opportunity to make use of someone or something (esp in the phrase at one's disposal )
6. a means of destroying waste products, as by grinding into particles

Word History and Origins

Origin of disposal¹

First recorded in 1620–30; dispose + -al ²

Origin of disposal²

Short for garbage-disposal; disposal ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see put at someone's disposal .

Example Sentences

The rich and the powerful have resources at their disposal that people like brave Mr. Cole do not.

From The Daily Beast

Waste Management, the large disposal company, has turned its landfills into a fleet of power producers.

From The Daily Beast

The isolation wards, too, were classified as “rudimentary” lacking water, electricity, and waste disposal facilities.

From The Daily Beast

Strict isolation of patients; good clinical care; and rapid, culturally sensitive disposal of infectious cadavers.

From The Daily Beast

But one business UNRWA is not in is bomb disposal, and it is not clear what else it could have done at that point.

From The Daily Beast

Remember that you asked me to answer on the assumption that you had adequate forces at your disposal, and I did so.

From Project Gutenberg

The enemy has now few more Nizam troops at his disposal and not many Redif or second class troops.

From Project Gutenberg

This would reduce the available time for direct manual labour at his disposal.

From Project Gutenberg

Save for Aunt Tabitha's room upstairs and the hall down here, the whole house is at your disposal.

From Project Gutenberg

Her son offered to place his own share at her disposal until her debts were paid, but to this she would not listen.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• clearance
• demolition
• destruction
• disposition
• dumping
• removal
• transfer