dispose

American  

[dih-spohz] / dɪˈspoʊz /

verb (used with object)

• disposes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disposed,
  past participle,  past
• disposing
  present participle

1. to give a tendency or inclination to; incline.

   His temperament disposed him to argue readily with people.

2. to put in a particular or the proper order or arrangement; adjust by arranging the parts.

3. to put in a particular or suitable place.

   The lamp was disposed on a table nearby.

4. to make fit or ready; prepare.

   Your words of cheer dispose me for the task.

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verb (used without object)

• disposes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• disposed,
  past participle,  past
• disposing
  present participle

1. to arrange or decide matters.

   to do as God disposes.

2. Obsolete. to make terms.

noun

1. Archaic. disposition; habit.

2. Obsolete. arrangement; regulation; disposal.

verb phrase

1. dispose of

   1. to deal with conclusively; settle.

   2. to get rid of; discard.

   3. to transfer or give away, as by gift or sale.

   4. to do away with; destroy.

dispose British  

/ dɪˈspəʊz /

verb

1. 1. to deal with or settle

   2. to give, sell, or transfer to another

   3. to throw out or away

   4. to consume, esp hurriedly

   5. to kill

2. to arrange or settle (matters) by placing into correct or final condition

   man proposes, God disposes

3. (tr) to make willing or receptive

4. (tr) to adjust or place in a certain order or position

5. to accustom or condition

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noun

1. an obsolete word for disposal disposition

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• disposer
  noun
• redispose
  verb (used with object)
• disposingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• disposing
  present
• disposed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dispose
  simple
• disposes
  simple
• have disposed
  perfect
• has disposed
  perfect
• am disposing
  progressive
• are disposing
  progressive
• is disposing
  progressive
• have been disposing
  perfect progressive
• has been disposing
  perfect progressive

Past

• disposed
  simple
• had disposed
  perfect
• was disposing
  progressive
• were disposing
  progressive
• had been disposing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dispose
  simple
• will have disposed
  perfect
• will be disposing
  progressive
• will have been disposing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dispose disposes disposed disposing

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

“The focus during the results will be the signing of the already announced plans to dispose of the ContiTech division as well as the potential distribution of the proceeds in FY26.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Passing the bill would also start to relieve a logjam of legislation that Congress is seeking to dispose of before its August recess and the November midterm elections.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

"I'm aware the vast majority of farmers dispose of fallen livestock responsibly and many share my disgust, but this is wrong and we need to see people apprehended for it", he said.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

A few years before, it had taken her three days to dispose of the Easter chick she had found dead on the sawdust in the bottom of her wastebasket.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Along the way, Mr. Pinsker disposes of some stubborn myths.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 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

St. Damien has scheduled her first pickup with Ridwell, a subscription service that picks up and disposes of hard-to-recycle trash.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024

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

It requires that person to be deprived of ownership of the animal - to have it taken away - and for the animal to be disposed of.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 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

With much of Iran’s pre-war leadership dead, Washington is grappling with the possibility that the country’s new leaders may be even less disposed to compromise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

“If I understand Mr. Cawson aright, the Master and his guests won’t be disposed to linger once they know you’re here. Shall I take the coffee tray?”

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

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

Tons of animal manure are produced with no good way of disposing of it.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• adapt
• incline
• predispose
• tempt