dispose of
Idioms-
Attend to, settle, deal with, as in He quickly disposed of the problem . [Early 1600s]
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Transfer, part with, as by giving away or selling. For example, They wanted to dispose of the land as soon as possible . [Second half of 1600s]
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Get rid of, throw out, as in Can we dispose of the trash in this barrel? Oliver Goldsmith had this idiom in She Stoops to Conquer (1773): “I'm disposing of the husband before I have secured the lover.” [Mid-1600s]
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Kill or destroy; also, humorously, consume. For example, The king was determined to dispose of his enemies , or John disposed of the cake in no time . [Second half of 1800s]
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.
It said "bins can often fill up faster than they can be collected" during peak times and pleaded with people to "dispose of waste responsibly".
From BBC • May 31, 2026
It might dispose of him in a minute.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
Among the first issues to be addressed is how to dispose of Iran's stocks of enriched uranium.
From Barron's • May 28, 2026
People who bought the affected product should not eat the product and should dispose of it as soon as possible.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
It was a good argument: Perhaps her uncle didn’t have the right to dispose of her after all.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
