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

His grandfather settled in Llandudno and worked as a shoe shop manager after the First World War where he had served as a dispatch rider before being injured by shrapnel.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

A dispatch from the Survivor cruise: Why are people still so obsessed with America’s most successful reality show 50 seasons in?

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Suisun City dispatchers are taking emergency police and fire calls through the Solano County dispatch center.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

“I was approached by one company who wants to use AI to dispatch ambulances.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

And a curious dispatch came in from the San Francisco World’s Fair.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

“The daily dispatches shine a light on a wide range of often overlooked good news in our community.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

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

Beyond dispatches from his red-and-white-checkered tablecloth joint and name-dropping, Dan Tana’s memoir outlines his significant contributions to soccer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Rather than draw from a small pool of ships, China’s navy dispatches a variety of different ships for the rotations, giving more crews a chance to operate and gain confidence in the area, they said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

Scott Fischer’s expedition had no less than two correspondents filing online dispatches for a pair of competing websites.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

After Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to break the color barrier, he dispatched Robinson to the Dodgers’ triple-A team in Montreal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Sinner hadn’t traveled to the tournament due to a knee injury and Shelton had personally dispatched Alcaraz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

In the write-up of the survey dispatched to clients Tuesday, Deutsche Bank’s clients are also a little bit less hawkish than the consensus.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Senate, two-term Sen. Ed Markey, an 80-year-old progressive, easily dispatched the more moderate Rep. Seth Moulton, 47.

From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026

Parkinson was hauled before the Privy Council for questioning and came within an ace of being dispatched in irons to Australia before the charges against him were quietly dropped.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

The Navy is reportedly dispatching another carrier, the USS George Washington, to replace the Lincoln.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 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

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

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 had been organizing other ministers in Little Rock to speak out and condemn the governor for dispatching the troops.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals

Related Words

• bulletin
• instruction
• missive