dispense

[ dih-spens ]

/ dɪˈspɛns /

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verb (used with object), dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing.

to deal out; distribute: to dispense wisdom.

to administer: to dispense the law without bias.

Pharmacology. to make up and distribute (medicine), especially on prescription.

Roman Catholic Church. to grant dispensation.

verb (used without object), dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing.

to grant dispensation.

noun

Obsolete. expenditure.

Verb Phrases

dispense with,

to do without; forgo: to dispense with preliminaries.
to do away with; rid of.
to grant exemption from a law or promise.

Nearby words

dispensary, dispensation, dispensationalism, dispensator, dispensatory, dispense, dispense with, dispenser, dispensible, dispensing optician, dispeople

Origin of dispense

1275–1325; Middle English dispensen < Medieval Latin dispēnsāre to pardon, exempt, Latin: to pay out, distribute, equivalent to dis- dis-¹ + pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere to weigh

SYNONYMS FOR dispense

1 apportion, allot, dole.

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Related forms

un·dis·pensed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See distribute.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dispense

But he was always uncommonly gracious, a truly gentle man, willing to dispense wisdom and perspective when asked.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America|John Avlon|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The question is not whether they are right or wrong but why they feel an impulse to dispense their advice in the first place.
America’s Meddlers Are Our Worst Enemies|Stefan Beck|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead of the eight flavors a typical fountain could dispense, they might want 15 or 20.
Font of Invention||September 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Let's hope they dispense with the slow courtship and start to dance.
How Iran and America Can Beat ISIS Together|Ben Van Heuvelen|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As nice as it would have been to dispense with the fairy tale tropes altogether, they are necessary here.
Disney’s Sublimely Subversive ‘Frozen’ Isn’t Your Typical Princess Movie|Melissa Leon|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The French, and to some extent the English, dispense with introductions at a private ball.
Our Deportment|John H. Young
This he fully admitted, but was not prepared to dispense with the necessity of an academical preparation.
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel|John Yeardley
Profuse display will probably be the only social grace the newly rich can dispense.
Maids Wives and Bachelors|Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
If we live in a small way, there are at least new dresses and bonnets and every-day luxuries which we can dispense with.
Pages From an Old Volume of Life|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
The following accidental circumstance enables us to dispense with both calculation and watch.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for dispense

dispense

/ (dɪˈspɛns) /

verb

(tr) to give out or issue in portions

(tr) to prepare and distribute (medicine), esp on prescription

(tr) to administer (the law, etc)

(intr foll by with) to do away (with) or manage (without)

to grant a dispensation to (someone) from (some obligation of church law)

to exempt or excuse from a rule or obligation

Word Origin for dispense

C14: from Medieval Latin dispensāre to pardon, from Latin dispendere to weigh out, from dis- 1 + pendere to weigh

usage

Dispense with is sometimes wrongly used where dispose of is meant: this task can be disposed of (not dispensed with) quickly and easily

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

dispense

verb (used with object), dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing.

verb (used without object), dis·pensed, dis·pens·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Nearby words

Origin of dispense

SYNONYMS FOR dispense

Related forms

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for dispense

British Dictionary definitions for dispense

dispense

verb

Word Origin for dispense

usage

Medicine definitions for dispense

dispense

v.