dispatch

American  

[dih-spach] / dɪˈspætʃ /

Or despatch

verb (used with object)

• dispatches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dispatched,
  past participle,  past
• dispatching
  present participle

1. to send off or away with speed, as a messenger, telegram, body of troops, etc.

2. to dismiss (a person), as after an audience.

3. to put to death; kill.

   The spy was promptly dispatched.

4. to transact or dispose of (a matter) promptly or speedily.

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verb (used without object)

• dispatches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dispatched,
  past participle,  past
• dispatching
  present participle

1. Archaic. to hasten; be quick.

noun

• dispatches
  plural

1. the sending off of a messenger, letter, etc., to a destination.

2. the act of putting to death; killing; execution.

3. prompt or speedy transaction, as of business.

4. expeditious performance; promptness or speed.

   Proceed with all possible dispatch.

   Synonyms:

   celerity, alacrity, haste, rapidity

5. Commerce.

   1. a method of effecting a speedy delivery of goods, money, etc.

   2. a conveyance or organization for the expeditious transmission of goods, money, etc.

6. a written message sent with speed.

7. an official communication sent by special messenger.

8. Journalism. a news story transmitted to a newspaper, wire service, or the like, by one of its reporters, or by a wire service to a newspaper or other news agency.

idioms

1. mentioned in dispatches, honored by being named in official military reports for special bravery or acts of service.

dispatch British  

/ dɪˈspætʃ /

verb

1. to send off promptly, as to a destination or to perform a task

2. to discharge or complete (a task, duty, etc) promptly

3. informal to eat up quickly

4. to murder or execute

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noun

1. the act of sending off a letter, messenger, etc

2. prompt action or speed (often in the phrase with dispatch )

3. an official communication or report, sent in haste

4. journalism a report sent to a newspaper, etc, by a correspondent

5. murder or execution

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dispatcher
  noun
• predispatch
  noun
• self-dispatch
  noun
• outdispatch
  verb (used with object)
• redispatch
  verb (used with object)
• undispatched
  adjective
• undispatching
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dispatches
  plural

Participles

• dispatching
  present
• dispatched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dispatch
  simple
• dispatches
  simple
• have dispatched
  perfect
• has dispatched
  perfect
• am dispatching
  progressive
• are dispatching
  progressive
• is dispatching
  progressive
• have been dispatching
  perfect progressive
• has been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Past

• dispatched
  simple
• had dispatched
  perfect
• was dispatching
  progressive
• were dispatching
  progressive
• had been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dispatch
  simple
• will have dispatched
  perfect
• will be dispatching
  progressive
• will have been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dispatch

1510–20; < Italian dispacciare to hasten, speed, or < Spanish despachar both ultimately < Old French despeechier to unshackle, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -peechier < Late Latin -pedicāre to shackle; see impeach

Explanation

Anything that needs to be mailed, sent off, or quickly shipped needs to be dispatched. Letters, official reports, teams of police — if it has somewhere to be, you can dispatch it to get there. Sometimes spelled despatch, this word was first used in the early 1500s as a verb meaning “to send off in a hurry.” These days we get hurried dispatches in noun and verb form, from journalists sending in their war zone stories to emergency squads getting dispatched to the scene of an accident. And in its most sinister sense, dispatch means to kill off without delay.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dispatch dispatches dispatched dispatching

One company even approached me about helping build an AI system to dispatch ambulances, which made me uncomfortable.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

A revealing dispatch from across the pond: Kim Kardashian’s underwear empire has expanded to the U.K., to much fanfare.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

The company is investing in enterprise programs that dispatch engineers who work with business clients to plan and build AI applications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The buzz: France, bidding to make its third consecutive World Cup final, needed a penalty kick from Kylian Mbappé to dispatch stubborn Paraguay, a third-place team, in the round of 16.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

“What happened to me in the dispatch office wasn’t war,” I told her.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The clips were among thousands of reels, memes and first-person dispatches that flooded Instagram once protesters regained internet access.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Back on the road, Charlotte and Connor barely have time to make themselves available to the dispatches team before another job comes in.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Time and Water” touches on the epic verse called rimurs, passed down via chanted song by Icelandic women, their descriptive, sorrowful tales like dispatches from previous ages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

Then video reports began connecting to satellite linkups, and international journalists who’d braved Russian checkpoints got west and filed their dispatches.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

A British agent in Redding, Connecticut, sent in another report: “Private dispatches are frequently sent” from New York “by way of Setauket, where a certain Brewster receives them, at, or near a certain woman’s.”

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has dispatched about 150 personnel and 20 engines to Washington, while individual California fire departments are also loaning crews.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Feroli and his colleagues articulated their concerns in JPMorgan’s weekly prospects note, dispatched to clients late Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

Ukraine said it had dispatched a team of 70 rescuers and 15 specialised vehicles to help battle blazes in France that have sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

After Fury comfortably dispatched Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, can Joshua can come through his own warm-up bout?

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Thinking he had another chance to capture the patriot leader in May 1781, Cornwallis dispatched Major Banastre Tarleton and a company of horsemen to hunt down Jefferson once more.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Saudi Arabia had diverted its oil exports to its Red Sea ports and out the Bab al Mandeb, dispatching some 4.5 million barrels via that route per day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Martina Bergman Osterberg was a powerhouse liberal, a college owner and principal who strategically and scientifically set out to build "physically perfect" women before dispatching them to teach and create more in their likeness.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was dispatching a team to inspect the damage, calling the incident "deeply concerning".

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

He added: “In the future you could be dispatching robots to go make intercepts.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

Finally, Secretary Stinson was contacted and made good on his word by quickly dispatching troops to clear the parade route.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• bulletin
• instruction
• missive