dispose

American  

[dih-spohz] / dɪˈspoʊz /

verb (used with object)

disposed, disposing

1. to give a tendency or inclination to; incline.

   His temperament disposed him to argue readily with people.

2. to put in a particular or the proper order or arrangement; adjust by arranging the parts.

3. to put in a particular or suitable place.

   The lamp was disposed on a table nearby.

4. to make fit or ready; prepare.

   Your words of cheer dispose me for the task.

---

verb (used without object)

disposed, disposing

1. to arrange or decide matters.

   to do as God disposes.

2. Obsolete. to make terms.

noun

1. Archaic. disposition; habit.

2. Obsolete. arrangement; regulation; disposal.

verb phrase

1. dispose of

   1. to deal with conclusively; settle.

   2. to get rid of; discard.

   3. to transfer or give away, as by gift or sale.

   4. to do away with; destroy.

dispose British  

/ dɪˈspəʊz /

verb

1. 1. to deal with or settle

   2. to give, sell, or transfer to another

   3. to throw out or away

   4. to consume, esp hurriedly

   5. to kill

2. to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition

   man proposes, God disposes

3. (tr) to make willing or receptive

4. (tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position

5. to accustom or condition

---

noun

1. an obsolete word for disposal disposition

Other Word Forms

• disposer
  noun
• disposingly
  adverb
• redispose
  verb (used with object)

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.

Example Sentences

Dispose properly of hazardous materials such as paint and chemicals.

From Washington Post • Aug. 23, 2022

Dispose of hazardous materials in your garage or garden shed by taking them to a King County hazardous waste disposal location in North Seattle, South Seattle, Factoria or Auburn.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2022

Dispose of the excess liquid in the bowl but leave the white potato starch on the bottom.

From Fox News • Nov. 27, 2021

Dispose of putty once it becomes covered in dust and dirt.

From The Verge • Nov. 9, 2021

Dispose of them as you please, I give them entirely up to you, without reserving to myself any right over them.”

From The Princess of Ponthieu (in) The New-York Weekly Magazine or Miscellaneous Repository by Unknown

Related Words

• adapt
• incline
• predispose
• tempt