dispense with

1. Manage without, forgo, as in We can dispense with the extra help . Shakespeare had this idiom in Timon of Athens (3:2): “Men must learn now with pity to dispense.” [c. 1600]

2. Get rid of, do away with, as in The European Union is trying to dispense with tariff barriers . [Late 1500s]

3. Exempt one from a law, promise, or obligation, as in He asked the court to dispense with swearing on the Bible . This usage originally applied to religious obligations (to which the Pope granted dispensation ). [Early 1500s]

Example Sentences

Judges then stunned the nation by ordering Sarkozy to swiftly start serving his sentence, dispensing with the usual practice of waiting until a white-collar convict exhausts the appeals process.

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The president thinks outside the box, dispensing with the strategy of experts who have been stumped in the region for decades.

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For that to happen, Israel must dispense with its old ways.

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Smith says he witnessed this phenomena, and at that point decided to create an event that focused on realism and dispensed with the notion that there could be any illusions or magic.

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They use their college degrees to help their husbands dispense with menial tasks so he can focus on the more exciting — and visible — parts of his job.

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Related Words

• abolish 
• dispose of 
• disregard 
• do without 
• forgo 
• get rid of 
• ignore 
• relinquish 
• waive