dispense with
Idioms-
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]
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Get rid of, do away with, as in The European Union is trying to dispense with tariff barriers . [Late 1500s]
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I could dispense with most of them. . . . Perhaps that’s my failing, but I console myself that there are worse failings.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In February, Monsanto proposed another multi-billion dollar class settlement to dispense with claims that Roundup causes cancer.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
“The right to assistance of counsel and the correlative right to dispense with a lawyer’s help are not legal formalisms,” the court added.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Early on Wednesday morning, Venkatesham made the recommendation to the Lewis family - the club's ownership - to dispense with Frank.
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
Artists will usually dispense with aids like perspective and rely on their own eyes.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
