dispenser
Americannoun
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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
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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.
Some past attempts to innovate, from selling bottled drinks to what Coke called a “Freestyle” soda dispenser that let customers create their own mixes, have sputtered.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026
A French teenager who allegedly licked a straw from an orange juice vending machine before putting it back into its dispenser has been charged with committing mischief and being a public nuisance in Singapore.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 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
First, I saw that someone had stolen the shampoo dispenser.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025
While Martin entertained himself by fiddling with the soda dispenser, I grabbed a few bags of chips and chocolate bars.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
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.
