dispose of

Idioms  

1. Attend to, settle, deal with, as in He quickly disposed of the problem . [Early 1600s]

2. 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]

3. 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]

4. 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]

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Example Sentences

Dispose of hazardous materials in your garage or garden shed by taking them to a King County hazardous waste disposal location in North Seattle, South Seattle, Factoria or Auburn.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2022

Dispose of the excess liquid in the bowl but leave the white potato starch on the bottom.

From Fox News • Nov. 27, 2021

Dispose of putty once it becomes covered in dust and dirt.

From The Verge • Nov. 9, 2021

Cleanup Dispose of the seeds from your fruit or, if you're motivated and curious, look into how you could grow from your seeds.

From Scientific American • Jul. 19, 2012

Dispose of all rubbish by the simple process of putting it in trenches when digging plots for early seeds.

From The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers From Seeds and Roots 16th Edition by Sutton and Sons

Related Words

• destroy
• discard
• dump
• eliminate
• get rid of
• relinquish
• scrap
• sell
• unload