dispense
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dispenses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dispensed,
past participle, past
-
dispensing
present participle
-
to deal out; distribute.
to dispense wisdom.
-
to administer.
to dispense the law without bias.
-
Pharmacology. to make up and distribute (medicine), especially on prescription.
-
Roman Catholic Church. to grant dispensation.
verb (used without object)
-
dispenses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dispensed,
past participle, past
-
dispensing
present participle
noun
verb phrase
verb
-
(tr) to give out or issue in portions
-
(tr) to prepare and distribute (medicine), esp on prescription
-
(tr) to administer (the law, etc)
-
to do away (with) or manage (without)
-
to grant a dispensation to (someone) from (some obligation of church law)
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dispensesimple
-
dispensessimple
-
have dispensedperfect
-
has dispensedperfect
-
am dispensingprogressive
-
are dispensingprogressive
-
is dispensingprogressive
-
have been dispensingperfect progressive
-
has been dispensingperfect progressive
Past
-
dispensedsimple
-
had dispensedperfect
-
was dispensingprogressive
-
were dispensingprogressive
-
had been dispensingperfect progressive
Future
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
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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.
See Examples For:
It went on to encourage its members not to knowingly dispense medicines that would be misused - and report any side affects to the health authorities of those that had been.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Many joined with volunteer organizations to prepare and dispense meals to first responders and recovery workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
One of the FDA’s concerns is that the agency doesn’t have any information about the containers that would be used by compounding pharmacies to dispense the medication.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
After leaving Westminster, Burnham similarly began to dispense with ties and jackets.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Rush set the terms for what became a high-stakes game of honesty by proposing that they dispense with the usual topics and report to each other on their respective dreams.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Days before the official opening, the international jury who dispenses prizes resigned en masse, forcing organizers to reconfigure its Golden Lion prize from one decided by a jury to one decided by the public.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
The NHS pays pharmacies a fixed price for each medicine it dispenses.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026
Impersonating St. Nick, Taylor dispenses amusingly practical advice to children telling her what they want for Christmas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2025
She also conducts research for patients—from cancer treatment to skin care—and dispenses advice that other doctors might not; a patient recently texted to ask if the foundation makeup she was considering was “clean beauty.”
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
Neither do the ads for an electronic device that dispenses lindane fumes — we are told that it is safe and odorless.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
People in her village, Bakau Serip, were now depending on tanker trucks that dispensed "dirty, cloudy and smelly" water, she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
The answer starts with Jesus, but much of the credit belongs to St. Paul, who dispensed with Jewish dietary law, circumcision requirements and prohibitions against intermarriage, thus broadening the appeal of early Christianity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Saum Poorsaleh, San Diego police public information officer, said his department had issued more than 50 citations at Sunset Cliffs and dispensed about 350 warnings, written and oral, since mid-June.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
As the show’s host, Queen Latifah dispensed uplifting thoughts about American idealism throughout the evening but also got a slot of her own to do her classic “U.N.I.T.Y.” with help from a rambunctious drum line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
He pressed a pump that dispensed cellulite gel and massaged it into the back of his ungloved hand.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
The agreement requires CVS to establish a hotline for employees and the public to report suspected illegal dispensing of controlled substances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Long before Oz entered politics, for example, he’d been discredited for dispensing a vast array of scientifically unsound medical advice on “The Dr. Oz Show,” which Winfrey’s Harpo Productions co-produced.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
In a five-star review, the Guardian's Lucy Mangan, external said Lawson "moves through Bake Off dispensing words of wisdom, generous praise and gentle criticism".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
It would be one thing if Macklemore’s comments in New Jersey truly resembled the hate speech that Kraft accused him of dispensing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
I ask the nurse wrapping up her dispensing duties if I need any meds, and she says I’m not scheduled for any.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
