dispensary
Americannoun
-
dispensaries
plural
-
a place where something is dispensed, especially medicines.
-
a charitable or public facility where medicines are furnished and free or inexpensive medical advice is available.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dispensary
1690–1700; < Medieval Latin dispēnsāria storeroom, equivalent to Latin dispēns ( āre ) to dispense + -āria -ary
Explanation
A dispensary is the room or area in a hospital where medicine is prepared and given out to patients. You can use the term dispensary when you talk about the office within a hospital — or occasionally other places, like schools — from which prescriptions can be distributed. A dispensary is often run by a pharmacist, doctor, or nurse, who is authorized to dispense — or hand out — medicine. The root is the Latin word dispensarius, "one who dispenses," from dispensare, "disburse, administer, or distribute by weight."
Vocabulary lists containing dispensary
Latin Love, Vol III: pendere
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Invisible Son
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Hunting by Stars
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
For dispensary owners, wading through government inefficiency burns precious capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
From the outside, it looks like your standard-issue corporate dispensary, largely because of where it is.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2025
She added that her shop was "propping up" the dispensary.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2024
“This project will change the trajectory of their lives forever,” Forrest Parker, general manager for Qualla Enterprises, the tribal company that manages the dispensary, said during the opening ceremony.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2024
She closed the dispensary door and looked around the outer office.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
It had been measuring the required 500-foot distance between schools and dispensaries from door to door, not from property line to property line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
So dispensaries can’t deduct typical business expenses from their taxable income.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
Despite concerns about the health risks of secondhand smoke, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a bill that will allow cannabis dispensaries to serve hot food and nonalcoholic drinks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2024
For one, all legal dispensaries must use licensed processors and growers.
From Slate ● Mar. 14, 2024
But one of the many people who regularly brought unpleasant news of the deluge had told her that the company was dismantling its dispensaries to move them to where it was not raining.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
