dispense
Americanverb (used with object)
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to deal out; distribute.
to dispense wisdom.
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to administer.
to dispense the law without bias.
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Pharmacology. to make up and distribute (medicine), especially on prescription.
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Roman Catholic Church. to grant dispensation.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb phrase
verb
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(tr) to give out or issue in portions
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(tr) to prepare and distribute (medicine), esp on prescription
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(tr) to administer (the law, etc)
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to do away (with) or manage (without)
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to grant a dispensation to (someone) from (some obligation of church law)
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to exempt or excuse from a rule or obligation
Usage
Dispense with is sometimes wrongly used where dispose of is meant: this task can be disposed of (not dispensed with ) quickly and easily
Synonym Usage
See distribute.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
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
Explanation
To dispense means to give out or distribute something. A school nurse can dispense students' medication and we all can dispense advice. The word dispense comes from the Old French word dispenser, meaning "give out." You can dispense anything from hand sanitizer to dating advice. When dispense is paired with with it means "get rid of it" or "skip." If you dispense with traditional Thanksgiving dishes, you might instead celebrate with pizza, pancakes, tacos — anything but turkey and all the fixings.
Vocabulary lists containing dispense
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Tears of a Tiger
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
Dispense with the label, and we all fall on a spectrum measuring degrees of mental illness and mental health.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2022
Ward's company sued a rival firm that used a similar name — DocRx Dispense — for trademark infringement in 2014.
From Salon • Oct. 21, 2021
Dispense with them, and we’re speaking a much more machine-friendly language.
From Slate • Nov. 2, 2018
Dispense a few drops in your palm or a cotton pad and sweep over your face, steering clear of your eyes.
From New York Times • May 29, 2018
Dispense with superfluous words—such as, "Well, I should think," etc.
From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous
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.
