dispatch

or des·patch

[ dih-spach ]

/ dɪˈspætʃ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: dispatch / dispatched / dispatching on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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

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

to put to death; kill: The spy was promptly dispatched.

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

verb (used without object)

Archaic. to hasten; be quick.

noun

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

the act of putting to death; killing; execution.

prompt or speedy transaction, as of business.

expeditious performance; promptness or speed: Proceed with all possible dispatch.

Commerce.

a method of effecting a speedy delivery of goods, money, etc.
a conveyance or organization for the expeditious transmission of goods, money, etc.

a written message sent with speed.

an official communication sent by special messenger.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR dispatch

9 rapidity, haste, alacrity, celerity.

See synonyms for dispatch on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about dispatch

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

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

OTHER WORDS FROM dispatch

out·dis·patch, verb (used with object)pre·dis·patch, noun, verb (used with object)re·dis·patch, verb (used with object)self-dis·patch, noun

un·dis·patched, adjectiveun·dis·patch·ing, adjective

Words nearby dispatch

disparity, disparlure, dispart, dispassion, dispassionate, dispatch, dispatch boat, dispatch box, dispatch case, dispatcher, dispatch rider

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use dispatch in a sentence

The information remains private in both cases, even though dispatch centers have access to it.
County Distributes COVID Patients’ Addresses to Police Agencies|Jesse Marx|January 21, 2021|Voice of San Diego
In a series of dispatches, writers look at new ways to tackle issues from closing the digital divide and mapping insect populations to measuring societal health and encouraging long-term thinking.
To think your way out of a crisis, look beyond it|Katie McLean|October 21, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Each dispatch might be less in-depth, but still filled with the news-you-can-use, resources, and inspiration you need to better stay on top of a rapidly changing world.
Breonna Taylor’s case is as painful as it unsurprising|Ellen McGirt|September 25, 2020|Fortune
DeJoy has claimed that the lone operational change he instituted was enforcing a stricter dispatch schedule of mail transportation trucks and letter carriers to their daily rounds.
Federal judge issues temporary injunction against USPS operational changes amid concerns about mail slowdowns|Elise Viebeck, Jacob Bogage|September 17, 2020|Washington Post

For example, the reforms encourage officers to increase their casual presence in certain communities and include social workers in their dispatch runs.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
What got leaked to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on October 22?
Michael Tomasky’s Year-End Quiz: Test Your 2014 News Knowledge|Michael Tomasky|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Det. Johnson left in an elevator and I found myself alone in the building, save two women in the dispatch center.
The Disappearing Cops of East St. Louis|Justin Glawe|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He presumably felt he owed it to himself to make one more visit to hell and report back with a cliché-busting dispatch.
How Hitch & Amis Discovered Evil In My House|Peter Foges|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And a recording of the police dispatch seems to blow the case to bits.
‘Out in the Night’ and the Redemption of the ‘Killer Lesbian Gang'|Nina Strochlic|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He initially sent that letter to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Did Cooter From ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Beat Eric Cantor?|Eleanor Clift|June 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Colonel read the dispatch of Captain Duffield, sitting on his bed in his nightclothes.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
The Weekly Dispatch's accounts of the next world are well worth staying alive for.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
I am pushing the smiths as hard as possible, and you must do the same at your works, that the greatest dispatch may be made.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
If the offeree sent a telegram, then he would be obliged to prove the delivery of the dispatch.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
Before leaving Verdun he had seen Pierrepont enter the telegraph bureau—to dispatch a message to the Sûreté, without a doubt.
The Doctor of Pimlico|William Le Queux

British Dictionary definitions for dispatch

dispatch

despatch

/ (dɪˈspætʃ) /

verb (tr)

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

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

informal to eat up quickly

to murder or execute

noun

the act of sending off a letter, messenger, etc

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

an official communication or report, sent in haste

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

murder or execution

Derived forms of dispatch

dispatcher, noun

Word Origin for dispatch

C16: from Italian dispacciare, from Provençal despachar, from Old French despeechier to set free, from des- dis- 1 + -peechier, ultimately from Latin pedica a fetter

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dispatch

or des·patch

OTHER WORDS FOR dispatch

Idioms about dispatch

Origin of dispatch

OTHER WORDS FROM dispatch

Words nearby dispatch

Words related to dispatch

How to use dispatch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dispatch

despatch

Derived forms of dispatch

Word Origin for dispatch