disposal
1 Americannoun
-
an act or instance of disposing; arrangement.
the disposal of the troops.
-
a disposing of or getting rid of something.
the disposal of waste material.
-
a disposing or allotting of, as by gift or sale; bestowal or assignment.
She left no will to indicate the disposal of her possessions.
-
power or right to dispose of a thing; control.
left at his disposal.
- Synonyms:
- management, direction, command
noun
noun
-
the act or means of getting rid of something
-
placement or arrangement in a particular order
-
a specific method of tending to matters, as in business
-
the act or process of transferring something to or providing something for another
-
the power or opportunity to make use of someone or something (esp in the phrase at one's disposal )
-
a means of destroying waste products, as by grinding into particles
Etymology
Origin of disposal1
First recorded in 1620–30; dispose + -al 2
Origin of disposal2
Short for garbage-disposal; see disposal 1
Explanation
Disposal means getting rid of something, or throwing it away. When you go on a picnic, be sure to have a bag for the disposal of your trash afterward, or you will be a terrible litterbug. You can use a garbage disposal, a grinder in your sink drain that allows you to wash down certain waste items without causing clogs, for the disposal of vegetable scraps. In addition to meaning "getting rid of something," disposal can also mean "the power or means to accomplish something." If you have a fleet of limousines at your disposal, it's easy to get a large number of guests to a wedding.
Vocabulary lists containing disposal
And Then There Were None
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Prisoner B-3087
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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.
Almost a quarter of Welsh councils say they have suspended household collections of fridge-freezers due to a shortage of space at disposal sites.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
Retailers like Sam’s Club now have more tools at their disposal to beat legacy consumer-goods makers at their own game.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
In addition to the orchestra, the composer had a chorus at his disposal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
That disposal process is especially important as the body grows older.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Also, the freedom that he enjoyed then and the time at his disposal awoke in him a certain curiosity about the town, which he came to know without any surprise.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
