dispatch

American  

[dih-spach] / dɪˈspætʃ /

Or despatch

verb (used with object)

dispatches, present (3rd person singular) dispatched, past participle, past dispatching present participle

1. to send off or away with speed, as a messenger, telegram, body of troops, etc.

2. to dismiss (a person), as after an audience.

3. to put to death; kill.

   The spy was promptly dispatched.

4. to transact or dispose of (a matter) promptly or speedily.

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verb (used without object)

dispatches, present (3rd person singular) dispatched, past participle, past dispatching present participle

1. Archaic. to hasten; be quick.

noun

dispatches plural

1. the sending off of a messenger, letter, etc., to a destination.

2. the act of putting to death; killing; execution.

3. prompt or speedy transaction, as of business.

4. expeditious performance; promptness or speed.

   Proceed with all possible dispatch.

   Synonyms:

   celerity, alacrity, haste, rapidity

5. Commerce.

   1. a method of effecting a speedy delivery of goods, money, etc.

   2. a conveyance or organization for the expeditious transmission of goods, money, etc.

6. a written message sent with speed.

7. an official communication sent by special messenger.

8. Journalism. a news story transmitted to a newspaper, wire service, or the like, by one of its reporters, or by a wire service to a newspaper or other news agency.

idioms

1. mentioned in dispatches, honored by being named in official military reports for special bravery or acts of service.

dispatch British  

/ dɪˈspætʃ /

verb

1. to send off promptly, as to a destination or to perform a task

2. to discharge or complete (a task, duty, etc) promptly

3. informal to eat up quickly

4. to murder or execute

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noun

1. the act of sending off a letter, messenger, etc

2. prompt action or speed (often in the phrase with dispatch )

3. an official communication or report, sent in haste

4. journalism a report sent to a newspaper, etc, by a correspondent

5. murder or execution

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dispatcher
  noun
• predispatch
  noun
• self-dispatch
  noun
• outdispatch
  verb (used with object)
• redispatch
  verb (used with object)
• undispatched
  adjective
• undispatching
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dispatches
  plural

Participles

• dispatching
  present
• dispatched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dispatch
  simple
• dispatches
  simple
• have dispatched
  perfect
• has dispatched
  perfect
• am dispatching
  progressive
• are dispatching
  progressive
• is dispatching
  progressive
• have been dispatching
  perfect progressive
• has been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Past

• dispatched
  simple
• had dispatched
  perfect
• was dispatching
  progressive
• were dispatching
  progressive
• had been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dispatch
  simple
• will have dispatched
  perfect
• will be dispatching
  progressive
• will have been dispatching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of dispatch

1510–20; < Italian dispacciare to hasten, speed, or < Spanish despachar both ultimately < Old French despeechier to unshackle, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -peechier < Late Latin -pedicāre to shackle; see impeach

Explanation

Anything that needs to be mailed, sent off, or quickly shipped needs to be dispatched. Letters, official reports, teams of police — if it has somewhere to be, you can dispatch it to get there. Sometimes spelled despatch, this word was first used in the early 1500s as a verb meaning “to send off in a hurry.” These days we get hurried dispatches in noun and verb form, from journalists sending in their war zone stories to emergency squads getting dispatched to the scene of an accident. And in its most sinister sense, dispatch means to kill off without delay.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dispatch dispatches dispatched dispatching

But we can wholeheartedly recommend this dispatch from Slate’s Alexander Sammon, who visited his local Taco Bell to eat chalupas with the brave Americans who aren’t letting the risk of a parasite ruin their appetite.

From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026

WASHINGTON—Emergency responders sent to Sen. Lindsey Graham’s home Saturday night performed CPR on an individual suffering from cardiac arrest, according to dispatch audio reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

But emergency dispatch audio reported by US media has deepened concern in Washington, indicating that responders were sent that morning to McConnell's address for an unconscious person and that CPR was in progress.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

The lack of detailed information has left journalists and the public relying on a mix of official statements and emergency dispatch reporting to piece together what happened on the morning of June 14.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

I whirl around, at first convinced that the clerk somehow knows my name, and then wondering whether it’s Helen herself, or one of the other girls from dispatch.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

The clips were among thousands of reels, memes and first-person dispatches that flooded Instagram once protesters regained internet access.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Back on the road, Charlotte and Connor barely have time to make themselves available to the dispatches team before another job comes in.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Time and Water” touches on the epic verse called rimurs, passed down via chanted song by Icelandic women, their descriptive, sorrowful tales like dispatches from previous ages.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026

What follows is a story told in hasty paragraphs, pithy fragments and cynical dispatches from a conspiracy theory-infested America.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026

At least five Internet sites were posting dispatches* from correspondents at Everest Base Camp.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

The supplies are being dispatched by supporters from as far as thousands of kilometres away who cannot join the protesters but are determined to help them.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

The reports said that 213 people were evacuated by the more than 500 rescue personnel dispatched to the scene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

An ambulance was not dispatched until 21:12, and arrived at 21:19 - almost three-and-a-half hours after his first call to 999.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, has not been seen in public since he was hospitalized on June 14 after emergency responders were dispatched to his Washington residence.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

Every year, he dispatched his most promising graduate astronomers to the great European centers of scientific learning, such as Cambridge, Manchester, Paris, or Gottingen, Germany.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Saudi Arabia had diverted its oil exports to its Red Sea ports and out the Bab al Mandeb, dispatching some 4.5 million barrels via that route per day.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

After dispatching Djokovic, he will have every confidence that he possesses the weaponry and experience to overcome Zverev, who he has not lost to since 2023.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was dispatching a team to inspect the damage, calling the incident "deeply concerning".

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

It opened a new truck marshaling yard for sorting and dispatching cargo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026

Four hundred watts of white light blasted through the troll’s crimson eyes, dispatching lightning rods of agony to the brain.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• bulletin
• instruction
• missive