dispenser
Americannoun
-
dispensers
plural
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a person or thing that dispenses.
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a container, package, device, or vending machine for holding and dispensing something in small amounts, as facial tissue, paper cups, or candy.
noun
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a device, such as a vending machine, that automatically dispenses a single item or a measured quantity
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a person or thing that dispenses
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of dispenser
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at dispense, -er 1
Compare meaning
How does dispenser compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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:
Cheers to the Eugene, Ore., airport for offering a free short story dispenser in conjunction with the Eugene Public Library.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Automated conveyor belts shuttle boxes of wine along to a massive pallet wrapper, like a giant cling film dispenser twirling the pallets around ready for shipment.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
It felt like a piece of my childhood died along with the actor who played Dawson Leery, but it wasn’t just a parasocial relationship that had me weeping next to the soap dispenser.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2026
It featured the Hommemade Cafe, which was serving a meticulous espresso martini, and the Hommemade entertainment console and professional studio on wheels — complete with a projector, microphones, snack dispenser and rolling tray.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 2025
I remembered handing her a paper towel from a dispenser by the sink.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
“We joked about getting him one of those water dispensers that gerbils use,” says Crawford.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
They also reportedly have dispensers for chaff -- metal shavings that distract radar-guided missiles -- and flares that blind heat-seeking missiles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
There are handwashing stations outside the buffet, sanitizer dispensers outside restaurants and reminders in the daily newsletter to wash your hands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Children use toy pistols and dispensers to squirt coloured water at their friends.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
“Restock the dispensers before we head out, would ya?”
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
