dispose
Americanverb (used with object)
-
disposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disposed,
past participle, past
-
disposing
present participle
-
to give a tendency or inclination to; incline.
His temperament disposed him to argue readily with people.
-
to put in a particular or the proper order or arrangement; adjust by arranging the parts.
-
to put in a particular or suitable place.
The lamp was disposed on a table nearby.
-
to make fit or ready; prepare.
Your words of cheer dispose me for the task.
verb (used without object)
-
disposes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
disposed,
past participle, past
-
disposing
present participle
-
to arrange or decide matters.
to do as God disposes.
-
Obsolete. to make terms.
noun
-
Archaic. disposition; habit.
-
Obsolete. arrangement; regulation; disposal.
verb phrase
verb
-
-
to deal with or settle
-
to give, sell, or transfer to another
-
to throw out or away
-
to consume, esp hurriedly
-
to kill
-
-
to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition
man proposes, God disposes
-
(tr) to make willing or receptive
-
(tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position
-
to accustom or condition
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
disposesimple
-
disposessimple
-
have disposedperfect
-
has disposedperfect
-
am disposingprogressive
-
are disposingprogressive
-
is disposingprogressive
-
have been disposingperfect progressive
-
has been disposingperfect progressive
Past
-
disposedsimple
-
had disposedperfect
-
was disposingprogressive
-
were disposingprogressive
-
had been disposingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dispose
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French disposer, equivalent to dis- dis- 1 + poser “to place” ( see pose 1), on the model of Latin dispōnere
Explanation
If you dispose of something, you get rid of it. Don't want that sweatshirt with the clown's face on it? Give it away, throw it out, even sell it — these are all ways to dispose of that awful shirt. The verb dispose comes from the Latin word disponere, meaning “put in order,” “arrange,” or “distribute" — like when you dispose volunteers to collect trash at a park. The word of usually follows dispose when it means "getting rid of something." Another meaning is "make willing or open to something," like your childhood love of reading that disposes you to becoming a life-long reader.
Vocabulary lists containing dispose
Life Is So Good
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Good Riddance
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The 95-year-old said he will dispose of his remaining stock over the next eight years.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Jegede said if the leaves or fruit are too delicate to wash or ash is still visible, it would be best to dispose of the produce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
It might dispose of him in a minute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
This system helps cells correctly build, maintain, and dispose of proteins.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
I was proud of my discovery and asked a senior officer on the gallery how to dispose of it and what infraction number to place on the Misbehavior Report.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
A senior administration official Sunday detailed a three-part framework in which Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz and disposes of its enriched uranium while the U.S. unwinds its blockade in Iranian ports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
Do they think there is some sort of pickup service that comes along and disposes of their carefully collected excrement?
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
La Mariana said in addition to waste and recycling material, it takes electronic waste and disposes of it for free for residents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2023
Equally important, there’s no way to ignore the spectacularly difficult institutional hurdles of how society manages and disposes of its nuclear waste.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 18, 2023
Collectively, the Party owns everything in Oceania, because it controls everything and disposes of the products as it thinks fit.
From "1984" by George Orwell
And California recently enacted a law requiring retailers to manage how clothing waste is disposed of, in a bid to keep clothes from further bloating landfills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
According to the lawsuit, agricultural research companies that previously occupied the property generated hazardous waste that wasn’t properly disposed of.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
Conventional desalination produces liquid brine that must be treated, disposed of, or discharged into the environment.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
The same day, she acquired 76,705 shares through the vesting of performance-based stock units and disposed of 29,855 shares specifically to cover tax liabilities.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
How she’d disposed of Jesse like he’d never mattered.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Properly collecting and disposing of spent fireworks could help reduce these environmental effects.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
These meanings haven’t been conveyed to the consumer, who, in their confusion, may unintentionally contribute to food waste by disposing of food they believe is spoiled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The urgency in disposing of the body was because the whale was now sitting on a popular beach, according to Abildstrøm.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
It makes much of its money on water that those companies need to use in their operations, and by recycling and disposing of that water.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
As a way of disposing of them easily and agreeably she declared that she would marry whoever could beat her in a foot race, knowing well that there was no such man alive.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
